APPARITION
TO
THOMAS MICHAELEK
(Our Lady of Leżajsk, also known as Our Lady of Consolation)
LEZAJSK, POLAND
1578
"Holy Mary, we implore Thee
By thy purity divine:
Help us, bending here before Thee,
Help us truly to be Thine.
Teach, oh! teach us, holy Mother,
How to conquer every sin,
How to love and help each other,
How the prize of life to win."
- St. Casimir
St. Casimir,
King of Poland,
born 1458, died 1483.
Feast Day - March 4.
Poland is still the Kingdom of the Blessed Virgin whom the Poles invoke, ever since 1655, in their Litanies, under the title, Regina coeli et Poloniae.
Her image hangs from the necks of the young Polish girls; mothers formerly used to hang it on those of their brave sons when they set off for battle. The great ladies have in their apartments an oratory decorated with the picture of the Blessed Virgin; and that proud Polish nobility, which once eclipsed in splendor all the nobility of Europe, at the Christmas holidays, would set up in the most conspicuous place of their sumptuous banqueting halls a sheaf of straw, in memory of the utter destitution of Jesus and Mary in the stable of Bethlehem.
In the last years of the sixteenth century there was a remarkable Apparition of the Blessed Virgin near Lezajsk, in Poland.
It happened after this manner:
One day Thomas Michaelek, a simple but pious man, had gone, as was his custom, to make up a bundle of sticks to be used as fuel in a wood near the town, when suddenly he witnessed, on a spot where he went to pray, a marvelously bright splendor and within it the Blessed Mother with our Lord Jesus and St. Joseph. At the same time he heard a voice that seemed to come from the lips of the Blessed Virgin, and it said to him: "Thomas, I have chosen this place; on it my Son shall be honored, and everyone who shall invoke me here shall experience my intercession. Go to the rulers of the city and tell them that it is my will and command, and also that of my Son, that they build here a church dedicated to me."
Now Thomas was a very humble man and deemed himself unworthy of a heavenly vision. So, fearing some diabolical illusion, he kept the revelation secret. Only sometime after this, when Our Lady had reminded him twice, he asked the rulers of the city to allow him to set up a cross on the spot where the Blessed Mother had stood.
Soon the people of the neighborhood began to gather together at the holy place, and the Queen of Heaven, faithful to her promise, heard the prayers of the pious people.
Afterwards it happened that another dweller in this place, Sebastian Talarczyk, who was tending his cattle near the spot, saw the Blessed Virgin clad in white and surrounded by a great light. He went immediately to the city and informed the ecclesiastical authorities of what he had seen. The parish priest went to the spot, clothed with his priestly garments and with a great procession, and they built there a small wooden church under the invocation of St. Ann.
Not long afterwards, in the year 1606, the bishop of the diocese, M. Potrokonski, seeing that the small wooden church could not contain the worshipers of the Blessed Virgin, who went to that place, set himself, with the help of the pious king, Sigismund III., to build a magnificent church there with a monastery attached to it; and he brought to that place the Fathers of St. Bernard.
The image of the Blessed Virgin was painted by an artist brought from the city, and as he was very devout to the Immaculate Conception, the work, with the assistance of the Blessed Virgin, was a wonderful achievement. From that time, the people, who were very devout to the Immaculate Virgin, went in crowds to Lazajsk, principally on the day of her feast; and Our Holy Mother rewarded them liberally with her favors, in proof whereof are numerous votive offerings suspended around her image. After a canonical investigation the bishop of the diocese, Henry Firliz, on the 2Oth of November, confirmed the truth of the miracles formed there.
When, later on, the renown of the miracles and graces obtained on that spot was ever more and more noised abroad, Pope Benedict XIV., a great servant of Mary, gave leave to crown the miraculous image, thus satisfying the requests of the clergy, the nobility and the pious people.
All the outlay for increasing the splendor of this solemnity was furnished by Joseph Potocki, the Hetman of the Crown, who also at his own expense purchased two golden crowns for the image. The crowns were blessed by Pope Benedict XIV. ; But the pious Hetman did not live to see the coronation. His son, Stanislaus, the Senator, accomplished the work which his father had begun, sparing neither money nor trouble to make this solemnity most splendid and memorable.
On the 8th of September, 1752, the bishop, W. Sierakowski, in the midst of a large body of clergy and surrounded by the Polish nobility and an innumerable throng of the faithful, performed the solemn ceremony and crowned the image of the Blessed Virgin.
"O Virgin most admirable and worthy of all honor! O Woman beyond all others to be venerated, who didst repair the fault of our first parents, and didst bring life to their descendants!"
- St. Bernard
Daily, Daily
(St. Casimir’s Hymn)
Daily, daily sing to Mary;
Sing, my soul, her praises due!
All her feasts, her actions worship
With the heart s devotion true.
Lost in wondering contemplation
Be her majesty confess;
Call her Mother, call her Virgin,
Happy Mother, Virgin blest.
She is mighty to deliver
Call her, trust her lovingly;
When the tempest rages round thee,
She will calm the troubled sea,
Gifts of Heaven she has given,
Noble Lady, to our race
She, the Queen who decks her subjects
With the light of God s own grace.
Sing, my tongue, the Virgin s trophies
Who for us her Maker bore
For the curse of old inflicted
Peace and blessing to restore.
Sing, in songs of praise unending,
Sing, the world s majestic Queen;
Weary not, nor faint in telling
All the gifts she gives to men.
All my senses, heart, affections,
Strive to sound her glory forth
Spread abroad the sweet memorials
Of the Virgin s priceless worth.
Where the voice of music thrilling,
Where the tongue of eloquence,
That can utter hymns beseeming
All her matchless excellence?
All our joys do flow from Mary,
All then join her praise to sing;
Trembling sing the Virgin Mother,
Mother of our Lord and King.
While we sing her awful glory,
Far above our fancy s reach,
Let our hearts be quick to offer
Love the heart alone can teach.
History
The founding of the church and monastery of the Bernardine Fathers in Leżajsk was preceded by extraordinary events. The source texts of the Leżajsk Bernardine convent describe the story of Tomasz Michałek from nearby Giedlarowa, an employee of one of Leżajsk’s breweries, who in 1590 declared before the local clergy and city authorities that within the area of today’s Basilica, on the stump of a tree cut down in a forest thicket, the Mother of God appeared to him with St. Joseph.
The Mother of God said to him: “Do not be afraid, Michałek, here you will know the glory of God your Lord and my Son, and my help. I have chosen this place so that I may save people on it, and stand in for my Son. Go then to the elder, who is the caretaker of this town, and tell him that it is the will of my Son: that they build here a church in my name, in which people, praying, may receive from me what they need."
The content of the revelations presented to the local parish priest and the superior of the Leżajsk Bożogrobców monastery, Fr. Wojciech Wyszograd, exposed Tomasz Michałek to suspicions of heresy and led to his imprisonment. Piwowar was tortured. After being released, he contributed to the erection of the "Boża Męka" in the forest, that is, a crucifix mounted on a pole. People from various, often distant, parts of the country and Ruthenia began to pilgrimage to the marked site, experiencing various graces in the Leżajsk forest. To put an end to the cult, which was based on unverified grounds, Wyszograd ordered the burning of the Boża Męka. However, the fire, set before the pilgrims’ eyes, did not consume the crucifix. From then on, regarded as miraculous, it became the object of great veneration. Over time, it was placed in a glassed-in chapel behind the main altar of the Basilica, where it remains to this day.
In 1592, a wooden chapel dedicated to St. Anne was built in the Leżajsk forest. In 1594, through the generosity of townspeople and Kacper Głuchowski, the Leżajsk tenant who had converted from Lutheranism, with the support of the superior of the Bożogrobców, Fr. Jan Teolog, and the nobleman Rzeszotarski, a wooden church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saints John the Baptist, Lawrence, Sebastian, and Margaret was erected there. It had three altars. On one of them, an image of St. Anne was displayed; on the second, the Boża Męka; the third was adorned with a painting of the Madonna and Child, by Fr. Erazm from the Leżajsk Bożogrobców monastery.
In 1608, the Bernardines arrived in Leżajsk, brought from Przeworsk through the initiative of the Bishop of Przemyśl, Maciej Pstrokoński. In 1610, at the monks’ behest, the first brick church was built. The current monumental church was erected between 1618 and 1628, funded by the Grand Crown Marshal Łukasz z Bnina Opaliński and his wife Anna z Pileckich Opalińska. The motivation for the foundation was gratitude for the victory achieved in 1610 over the royal cavalry captain and Żygwulski starost Stanisław Stadnicki, who resided in Łańcut and was called “the devil of Łańcut” due to his acts of violence and desecration. The construction was overseen by the Italian-born architect Antonio Pellaccini, in cooperation with Szymon Sarocki.
Legend has it that the discovery of a suitable location and plan for the church was aided by clumps of chamomile, which one day at dawn were noticed in the forest. The unexpected appearance of these flowers in such a place was interpreted as a miracle, and the area, harmoniously adorned with these patches, was recognized as the site for the future church.
The early Baroque interior furnishings of the spaces intended for worship and the monastery were created by the Bernardines themselves in their workshop. The church was consecrated in 1630 by the Bishop of Przemyśl, Adam Nowodworski. In 1657, it was partially destroyed by a fire caused by the invasion of Leżajsk by the Hungarian troops of George II Rákóczi. In 1670, part of the original Mannerist decoration of the church vaults was destroyed. In its place, in the second half of the 18th century, frescoes were created by Lviv painters: Wojtanowski, Kłossowski, Maciej and Mateusz Miller, and Stanisław Stroiński. In connection with the planned coronation in 1752 of the image of the Mother of God, famed for its graces, the monks carried out many investments. At that time, the altarpieces of the side altars were created. It was also probably then that the main altar was moved from the western edge of the monastic choir to the apse wall. Between 1891 and 1896, a thorough restoration of the church was carried out. Between 1915 and 1917, the Leżajsk convent served as a fortress for Austrian troops and was a target of Russian artillery. The war damages incurred during this period were only removed in 1932.
In 1928, in response to the request of the bishops of Przemyśl, the monastic authorities, and the local population, Pope Pius XI, by decree dated July 10 of that year, elevated the Church of the Bernardine Fathers in Leżajsk to the rank of Minor Basilica. This fact had great significance for the further development of the center. From its inception until today, it has been an important center of religious life in southeastern Poland, attracting pilgrims from various parts of Poland and the world.
Traditional fairs, drawing large crowds of the faithful, are held here annually.
In 1990, the sanctuary experienced a nine-month novena in preparation for the 400th anniversary of the presence of the Mother of God in Leżajsk. An integral part of the jubilee celebrations was the peregrination of a copy of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Leżajsk (Comforter) in nearby parishes and homes.
The Leżajsk Basilica and the local Museum of the Bernardine Province are also visited outside the periods of the fairs. Over the course of a year, more than 250,000 tourists and pilgrims from Poland and abroad visit this place, coming to Leżajsk individually or in groups.
Annual concerts are organized inside the Basilica as part of the Łańcut Music Festival, and since 1992, also during the summer season as part of the International Organ and Chamber Music Festivals. Musical ensembles, orchestras, choirs, and virtuosos from various parts of the country and the world perform works by great composers, while tourists visiting Leżajsk listen to recitals played on the historic organs. Thanks to these events, the site also serves as an important cultural center, attracting the interest of various European cultural institutions.
The Basilica of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Bernardine Monastery in Leżajsk are among the most valuable monuments of ecclesiastical architecture on the border of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, constituting the second largest Bernardine Marian sanctuary. The interior of the Leżajsk basilica is filled with 19 side altars, created between the 17th and 18th centuries. They provide an overview of artistically rich woodcarving work. Among the altar paintings dedicated to Polish saints and martyrs, particular attention is drawn to the works of two 17th-century Bernardine painters: Franciszek Lekszycki (+1668) and Szymon Hermanowicz (+1668). Especially valuable is the painting of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the main altar, created by Lekszycki, and the Renaissance Madonna by Hermanowicz, based on a graphic by Albrecht Dürer, located in the sacristy (first half of the 17th century). The splendor of the Leżajsk basilica is enhanced by the stalls made between 1642 and 1648. Their authorship is attributed to Paweł of Bydgoszcz (+1643), and among their builders, sources mention two religious brothers: Samuel of Warsaw and Hilary of Poznań. In recent years, the stalls have undergone thorough restoration.
On May 28, 1965, in the Chapel of Our Lady of Consolation, the Holy Mass was celebrated by the then Archbishop of Kraków, Karol Wojtyła.
This visit is commemorated by the entry of the future pope into the sanctuary’s chronicle:
"With heartfelt blessing and a request for remembrance before the miraculous image of the Mother of God. I will try to repay your remembrance with my own, for it is not easy to forget your basilica."
Images of Bernardine Monastery located in Leżajsk, Poland
The image shows the Bernardine Monastery Complex in Leżajsk, a 17th-century historic site located in southeastern Poland.
This image displays the Bernardine Monastery Complex in Leżajsk, Poland
The Sanctuary and Monastery of the Bernardine Fathers in Leżajsk, Poland, during winter.
The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) illuminating the night sky of the Bernardine Monastery in Leżajsk, Poland
Bernardine Monastery in Leżajsk, located in Poland.
The Bernardine Monastery in Leżajsk, southeastern Poland, is a world-renowned historical site primarily famous for its monumental 17th-century pipe organ.
The Bernardine Monastery in Leżajsk, Poland with a cherry tree in blossom.
The interior of the Basilica of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary within the Bernardine Monastery complex in Leżajsk, Poland.
Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Bernardine Monastery in Leżajsk, Poland.
Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Bernardine Monastery in Leżajsk, Poland.
This gilded crucifix is a detail of the altar at the Bernardine Monastery.
The image features a detailed wooden crucifix found at the Bernardine Monastery, also known as the Basilica of the Annunciation.
The image depicts the hand of the wooden crucifix (same as above picture) found at the Bernardine Monastery, also known as the Basilica of the Annunciation.
This image depicts a crucifix typically displayed during Holy Week, the solemn period in Christianity commemorating the passion and death of Jesus Christ.
This painting depicts The Mocking of Christ and is located in the Sanctuary and Monastery of the Bernardines in Leżajsk, Poland.
This is a decorative brass sanctuary lamp with a red glass votive, commonly found hanging to symbolize the presence of Christ.
The wooden torso of a sculpture located in the Bernardine Monastery.
An ornate gilded altarpiece.
This image depicts an Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man") painting located in the Bernardine Monastery in Leżajsk, Poland.
Depicting the Resurrection of Christ, located in the Basilica of the Annunciation within the Bernardine Monastery Complex in Leżajsk, Poland.
Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd.
Our Lady of Consolation from the Bernardine Sanctuary in Leżajsk.
