Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń

About

The Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń [ˈlixɛɲ] (Polish: Bazylika Najświętszej Maryi Panny Licheńskiej) is a Catholic church at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Poland, in the village of Licheń Stary near Konin in the Greater Poland Voivodeship in Poland. It is the largest church in Poland and one of the largest church buildings in the world. The building was designed by Barbara Bielecka and built between 1994 and 2004. The construction was funded by pilgrims' donations. With a tower measuring 141.5 meters in height, it is one of the tallest and largest churches in the world. Pope John Paul II raised the shrine to the status of minor basilica on 25 February 2005.

History: The history of the foundation of the church dates back to 1813, when Tomasz Kłossowski, a Polish soldier fighting under Napoleon near Leipzig, was seriously wounded. He invoked the Virgin Mary, begging her not to let him die in a foreign land. According to legend, she appeared to him wearing a golden crown, a dark red gown, with a golden mantle, and holding a white eagle in her right hand. She comforted the soldier and promised he would recover and return to Poland. Tomasz was instructed to have an image...