The Sanctuary of Mother of God the Painful Queen of Poland in Licheń Stary
The Sanctuary of the Mercy of God is a sanctuary located in Łagiewniki, Kraków, at 3 Siostry Faustyny street. It is strictly associated with the life and activityof Faustyna Kowalska.
In 1992 the chapel of St. Joseph by the monastery of the Nuns of the Mercy of the Mother of God was upgraded to the Sanctuary of the Mercy of God.
The main design of the new part of the sanctuary was created between 1997 and 1999 by architect Witold Cęckiewicz from Kraków. The sanctuary consists of:
The monumental monastery complex of the Nuns of the Mercy of the Mother of God
The modern Basilic of the Mercy of God
the Pastoral House
The assembly hall of John Paul II
The Chapel of St. Joseph with the picure of Jesus Christ the Merciful and the grave of St. Faustyna is a part of the neo-gothic monastery complex, which was built between 1889 and 1891, based on a project by Karol Zaremba. Inside the chapel there is a picture Jesus Christ the Merciful, painted based upon a vision of Faustyna Kowalska by an artist painter Adolf Hyła. On April 16 1944 it was consecrated by Józef Andrasz.
The basilic was built between 1999 and 2002. It has two storeys and can hold 5000 people (about 1800 sitting places. Above the building towers a 77-meter observation tower.
In the lower level of the church there are 5 chapels:
The central chapel by the calling of St. Faustyna the nun, which was a gift from the Italian church.
The chapel by the calling of Communio Sanctorum with a mosaic-styled interior by a Hungarian artist L. Puskas (a gift from the Hungarian church)
The chapel by the calling of st. Andrew the Apostle – a greek-catholic chapel, officially consecrated on June 24th 2007, on the 60th anniversary of Operation „Wisła”
The chapel by the calling of the Holy Cross (a gift from the German church)
The chapel by the calling of Our Lady the Painful (a gift from the Slovakian church)