Marian Sanctuary Research Articles

Social Issues of the 21st Century in the Preaching to Women at Piekary

Piekary Śląskie is a place usually associated with the Marian sanctuary of Our Lady of Piekary — the Mother of Justice and Social Love. State pilgrimages of women and girls to Piekary Śląskie are events of pastoral and cultural importance that go far beyond the borders of the local Church. Social issues are strongly emphasized during the pilgrimages. A special feature is the welcome speeches delivered by the bishops of Katowice. This paper offers an analysis of speeches by Archbishop Damian Zimoń and Archbishop Wiktor Skworc, delivered during state pilgrimages of women and girls to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Piekary in 2001–2022. The addresses include description and critical analysis of current complex social problems in Poland. The speakers focused mainly on the issues of life and human dignity, marriage and family, civil rights and duties, respect for the poor and weak, dignity of human labour, social solidarity and natural environmental care.

Z Wiednia do Mentorelli. Dar cesarzowej Marii Teresy dla sanktuarium Matki Bożej

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces on Mentorella (Lazio region, about 50 km east of Rome), one of the oldest in Italy and the world, was built on the site of the conversion of St. Eustace. In the first millennium it was taken care of by the Benedictines, who popularized the cult of Mary there and probably in the 12th century placed a wooden statue of Our Lady with the young Jesus inside the temple. The monks’ abandonment of the site (presumably in the late 14th century) resulted in the decline of pilgrimage traffic and considerable neglect of the place, which regained its former glory only after 1661, i.e., after the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher “discovered” Mentorella. At that time, a new phase in the history of the church began: the restoration project supported by Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg and the German princes, followed by the Jesuit mission (carried out until the order’s suppression), which elevated Mentorella to the rank of an important Marian sanctuary in Europe. The shrine could also count on the support of the Habsburg family in the 18th century – Empress Maria Theresa, known for her devotion to the Mother of God, donated a valuable robe for the statue of the Mentorella Madonna. When the church and monastery were taken over by the Resurrectionist Fathers, during the renovation of the buildings and rearrangement of the temple’s interior, the garments were removed from the statue and a chasuble (or chasubles) was sewn from the fabric donated by the Empress. In 2023, an inventory of the furnishings of the church and monastery on Mentorella was made. Among the preserved liturgical vestments, it was possible to select a chasuble composed from the dresses of Empress Maria Theresa’s foundation and confirm its provenance after comparing the embroidered fabric with a graphic depicting Our Lady of Men¬torella in dresses, made by Giuseppe Mochetti “dal vero” in the 1st half of the 19th century. While it cannot be determined that Empress Maria Theresa made the embroidery herself (she herself designed, embroidered, and decorated with appliqués many of the liturgical paraments she funded), the artifact is of great artistic and historical value – bearing witness to the sanctuary’s strong ties to the Habsburg monarchy.

La interpretación de los milagros marianos de fecundidad y parto a la luz de una obra apologética del siglo XVIII

In 1726, priest Juan de Villafañé SJ published a historical compendium on the most famous Marian sanctuaries in Spain and their images, which was reprinted and increased in 1740. In this work, the author recounts the miraculous apparitions and the excellencies of the many intercessions on behalf of the Virgin's devotees. We will see the relationship established by women and their relatives with these images that can favor them when they cannot conceive or in the dangerous trance of childbirth. The prodigious events are recounted within a specific cultural context that explains economic, political and social aspects beyond the fact that the miracle is a product of the author's individual conscience and that of his sources.

Sacred Trees, Mystic Caves, Holy Wells: Devotional Titles in Spanish Rural Sanctuaries

This paper explores how local, lived religion has creatively linked spiritual insights and popular devotions in ecologically valuable settings helping generate and preserve the rich Spanish biocultural heritage. Focusing on a selection of Sacred Natural Sites (SNS), mostly Marian sanctuaries, it shows that local “geopiety” and religious creativity have generated “devotional titles” related to vegetation types, geomorphological features, water, and celestial bodies. It also argues that, despite mass migration to urban centers, the questioning of “popular religion” after the Second Vatican Council, and the rapid secularization of Spanish society over the past fifty years, a set of distinctive rituals and public expressions of faith—some of them dating back to the Middle Ages—have remained alive or even thrived in certain rural sanctuaries. These vernacular devotions, however, do not necessarily announce the advent of the postsecular. Finally, it suggests that Protected Area (PA) managers, regional governments, custodians, anthropologists, tourism scholars, and theologians should work together in order to analyze, interpret, and help solve the management challenges highly popular SNS face.

Mount Ucka and the shrine of our Lady of Trsat : mithology, tourism and popular religiosity in northern Croatia

espanolSe aborda la relacion entre el macizo croata conocido como monte Ucka, la mitologia eslava, el turismo y la religiosidad popular en el norte de Croacia. Para ello, se realizan entrevistas informales y observaciones antropologicas de campo en los contrafuertes y la cumbre del pico Vojak, en el refugio de montana de Poclon, en las aldeas de Veprinac y Volosco; y en el santuario de Trsat, importante lugar de peregrinacion y devocion popular cristiana, situado en una colina cercana al monte Ucka. Ademas, se analiza la construccion simbolica de la montana sagrada y su importancia en el robustecimiento de la identidad croata, teniendo en cuenta la recreacion de la mitologia eslava por medio de su representacion en la folleteria turistica de la Riviera de Opatija. Asimismo, con fines comparativos para la presente investigacion, se ascendio a otras montanas sagradas de Croacia tales como el monte Vidova Gora en la isla de Brac o el macizo de Biokovo en Makarska. El monte Ucka participa en la universalidad del mito de la lucha entre deidades celestes y del inframundo, por mediacion de la figura de Perun, el dios atmosferico eslavo, cuya morada se identifica con uno de los contrafuertes costeros del macizo. Otras entidades mitologicas, tales como las brujas que habitan en los pinaculos carsticos, o el llamado Babbo Natale, remiten al folclore de montana caracteristico de Europa del Este y del oriente del arco alpino. El proceso de cristianizacion de este monte queda reflejado en la toponimia local y en la dispersion de iglesias, santuarios marianos y abadias. La investigacion se completo con un ascenso a la colina de Trsat, para documentar la actividad de los peregrinos en la iglesia y las ofrendas depositadas en la capilla votiva. El mas antiguo santuario mariano de Croacia se encuentra erigido en una pequena elevacion al otro lado del golfo de Kvarner, que ofrece una vista privilegiada hacia el macizo de Ucka y la riviera de Abadia. EnglishThe relationship between the Croatian massif known as Mount Ucka, Slavic mythology, tourism and popularreligiosity in northern Croatia is addressed in this paper. For this, informal interviews and anthropological fieldobservations are carried out on the buttresses and the summit of Vojak Peak, in the Poclon mountain refuge, inthe villages of Veprinac and Volosco; and in the sanctuary of Trsat, an important place of pilgrimage and popularChristian devotion, located on a hill near Mount Ucka. In addition, the symbolic construction of the sacredmountain and its importance in strengthening the Croatian identity are analyzed, taking into account the recreationof Slavic mythology through its representation in the tourist brochures of the Opatija Riviera. Also, for comparativepurposes for the present investigation, other sacred mountains in Croatia such as Mount Vidova Gora on theisland of Brac or the Biokovo massif in Makarska were ascended. Mount Ucka participates in the universalityof the myth of the struggle between celestial deities and the underworld, through the figure of Perun, the Slavicatmospheric god, whose dwelling is identified with one of the coastal buttresses of the massif. Other mythologicalentities, such as the witches who inhabit the karst pinnacles, or the so-called Babbo Natale, refer to the mountainfolklore characteristic of Eastern Europe and the east of the Alpine arch. The process of Christianization of thismountain is reflected in the local toponymy and in the dispersion of churches, Marian sanctuaries and abbeys.The investigation was completed with an ascent to the hill of Trsat, to document the activity of the pilgrims inthe church and the offerings deposited in the votive chapel. The oldest Marian shrine in Croatia is located on asmall elevation on the other side of the Kvarner Gulf, which offers a privileged view of the Ucka massif andthe Abbey riviera.

“A Desora Desperto y vio una Grand Claridat”: The Role of Dreams and Light in the Construction of a Multi-Confessional Audience of the Miracles of the Virgin of Guadalupe

This paper examines the religious proselytizing agenda of the order of Saint Jerome that ruled the Extremaduran sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe since 1389. To this end, I analyze how the Hieronymite’s used literary motifs such as dreams and light in the codex of the Miracles of the Virgin of Guadalupe to create a multi-confessional audience for their collection of miracles. I contend that these motifs were chosen because they were key elements in the construction of a particular image of the Virgin that could appeal to pilgrims of different faiths. Through them, the Hieronymites evoked in the minds of Muslim pilgrims and Christian captives beyond the sea the imagery and rhetoric of Sufi devotional literature and Islamic hagiography, in order to create a vision of the Virgin that was able to compete with the more important Islamic devotional figures: the Prophet, Sufi masters and charismatic saints. Finally, I explore how the possible influence of North African devotional models, such as the Shadhiliyya order or the hagiography of the Tunisian saint, Aisha al-Manubiyya, suggests that the aims of the monastic authors of this Marian miracles collection went far beyond the conversion of Castilian Muslims, aiming at the transformation of the Extremaduran Marian sanctuary of Guadalupe into a Mediterranean devotional center.

The Reception of the Engravings of Gottfried Bernhard Göz’s Marian Series in the Monumental Painting of the Lviv Circle in the 18th Century

The Polish version of the article was published in Roczniki Humanistyczne vol. 63, issue 4 (2015).
 The graphic series dedicated to the Mother of God, defined as Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, by Gottfried Bernhard Göz (1708–1774) was an inspiration for the monumental painting of the Rococo period in Poland in the times of the Saxon kings. The series of engravings with a devotional character made with the stipple engraving technique presents 12 signed Marian scenes: the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary’s Birth, the Presentation of Mary, Mary and Joseph’s Matrimony, the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Purification, the images of Our Lady of Sorrows, and the Assumption. Other scenes are connected with Mary’s patronage – as the Queen of the Rosary—and her intercession. The prints, as researchers of Göz’s work assume, prove his mature style that was shaped in the years 1737–1740, when he formed a publishing “company” together with the Klauber brothers, Joseph Sebastian and Johann Baptist. He used the motifs occurring in the series many times e.g. on the vault of the nave in the Dominican nuns’ St Stefan Church in Habsthal (1748; Upper Swabia), in the sketch and painting for the Cistercian monastery in Birnau (1748–1750). These motifs were also found in Bavarian Marian shrines, e.g. Frauenchiemsee, Maria Mitleid Kapelle and Mater Dolorosa Kapelle with paintings by Balthasar Furtner (1761) and in a church in Niederaschau and Kleinmariazell (1763–1765). References to the series may also be found in the area of Slovenia, i.e. on the vault of Grajska Kapela in Novo Celje (1758–1763).
 The prints were known to the circle of Lviv artists active in the 18th century and they were used as models for numerous figural compositions. First of all the Lviv painter Stanisław Stroiński (1719–1802) used them for the decorations, among others, of the interior of the Franciscan Marian sanctuary in Leżajsk, in the Franciscan Holy Spirit Church in Krystynopol (1756–1759 (now Chervonohrad in Ukraine), and in the decoration of St Anne’s Chapel in the Holy Trinity Benedictine Church in Przemyśl. The series of prints was also used by the painter Gabriel Sławiński in the decoration of the chancel in St Lawrence Parish Church in the village of Żółkiewka and on the vault of the post-Pauline St Louis Church in Włodawa.
 The engravings are a significant model for Polish painting because of their style, technique and original approach to the conventional religious theme.

Transformations of religious consciousness at a Marian shrine: The case of La Tirana, Chile

This article is based on van Kessel’s study of La Tirana in Chile in 1970, over a non-representative sample of about one thousand participants including dancers, pilgrims, vendors and tourists. La Tirana is the main Marian sanctuary in the north of Chile. Van Kessel could clearly identify the importance of the religious manda as the main reason of devotion associated with complementary beliefs concerning the Virgin’s miraculous efficacy for those who strictly fulfill her. After nearly fifty years, this study finds out that the manda has tended to disappear and that religious attitudes toward the Virgin have changed; especially those related to the specifications of the fulfillment of the religious promise. Although all these changes go along with an increase in ecclesiastical mediation of the sanctuary devotion, it is the pilgrim’s educational level that best explains these changes in the religious awareness of Chilean Marianism.

Popular Religion, Sacred Natural Sites, and “Marian Verdant Advocations” in Spain

A relevant number of shrines, hermitages, monasteries, and pilgrimage routes in Spain are located within or near Natura 2000, a European network of protected core breeding and resting sites for rare and threatened species, and some rare natural habitat types. Given the growing interest in alternative conservation strategies and the geographical correlation between nature preserves and Sacred Natural Sites (SNS), this paper explores how religious devotions have made preservation possible in Spain. By an extensive literature review and interviews with long-established custodians of nonurban Marian sanctuaries, it looks at the development of plant-related allegorical titles, the multiple meanings of “Marian verdant advocations”, and the role popular religion has played in connecting theological insights with particular elements of natural ecosystems helping value and preserve the Spanish biocultural heritage. We found that 420 Marian titles directly refer to plant species or vegetation types and many of the nonurban Marian sacred sites are placed in well-preserved natural areas, some of them playing a human-related added value for most emblematic National Parks, like the sanctuaries of El Rocío (Doñana NP) and Covadonga (Picos de Europa NP). We conclude that there is a strong relationship between popular religion, Marian verdant titles, and nature conservation.

Economy and religious tourism: the phenomenon of pilgrimages to Marian sanctuaries. 2018. Dissertação (Mestrado) – Mestrado em Economia, Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas (Departamento de Gestão e Economia), Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã Portugal.

For centuries pilgrimages are present in Christianity. For Catholics, the importance of devotions and visits to the Marian sanctuaries is indisputable. The number of visitors and pilgrims to these temples make the local economy an important destination of religious tourism. In order to understand the economic determinants of religious tourism, two sanctuaries were studied, namely, Aparecida (Brazil) and Fatima (Portugal). Given the large collection of statistical information of the Portuguese Sanctuary, it was verified through the Vector Autoregressive model that Gross Domestic Product and Unemployment have a causal unidirectional relation with the pilgrimages. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag model revealed that an increase in Gross Domestic Product and international arrivals in the short term positively impacts the number of pilgrims. Through the Ordinary Least Squares regression, significant statistical relationships between climatic factors (rain volume and average temperature) and visitors in the Sanctuary of Fatima were found. The Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average forecast method was applied to the number of monthly visitors to the Sanctuary of Aparecida and to the number of pilgrims in the Sanctuary of Fatima, the results show a strong seasonality and that the first and last months of the year are periods of low demand. The results of this study allow a new look at religious tourism in the Marian context, the empirical results allow those responsible for establishing public policies, tourism agents and the administration of the Sanctuaries to direct their actions. Measures planned and executed jointly between the various agents can benefit residents, visitors, pilgrims, the tourism sector, the local economy and the Sanctuaries themselves.

Natura Sanat: On Ecological Aspects of Healing Miracles in Kalwaria Pacławska, Poland

The subject-matter of my article is a change affecting the discourse on miraculous healings in a Catholic Marian sanctuary – Kalwaria Pacławska – run by Franciscan friars in the South-Eastern Poland and a way in which those changes affect pilgrims’ bodies. In Kalwaria Pacławska there meet, intersect and compete various religious and secular discourses and they all influence emotions and bodily sensations accompanying pilgrimage to this sacred site. One of those discourses has been introduced to Kalwaria just recently. The central element of the sanctuary is the miraculous image of Virgin Mary which is the goal of numerous pilgrimages from both Poland and Ukraine. After the publication of the encyclical Laudato si’ by Pope Francis, the Franciscans at the sanctuary began to emphasize the influence of nature on miracles in Kalwaria. They successfully created a religious ecological discourse on nature which supports miraculous healings and make people feel the natural energy in the sanctuary. On the day of their patron saint (4th October) in 2015 Franciscans erected a new chapel of St Francis who has patronage over ecologists. Since then they have consequently continued to put the stress on the beauty of nature and its impact on sanctity of the place. Resulting from this the sanctuary is chosen by the faithful as the goal of their pilgrimage not only because of the miraculous image's fame, but also due to the natural surroundings of the sanctuary. These are believed to be supporting God's power of healing according to the Franciscans and by the faithful attending their sermons. They also describe the very place, i.e. Kalwaria, as closer to God, since its natural environment is depicted as almost original, unspoiled God’s creation. Healing is no longer an exclusive matter of the miraculous image, but also of the place which has a healing potential deriving directly from the reservoir of nature which directly affects pilgrims’ bodies, their feelings and emotions. The sensational forms (B. Meyer) and their influence are now interpreted not only within religious framework, but also ecological one.

SANKTUARIA W DIECEZJI EŁCKIEJ (1992−2012)

In 2012 the Diocese of Ełk prided itself on nine sanctuaries. During the 20 years of the dioceseof the sanctuary there have been several changes. Two new sanctuaries were established: Leipzigand Elk. All paintings in the Marian sanctuaries were crowned during this time (4 images out of 6).In the 2012 schematism the names of the sanctuaries have been clarified and the division intoMarian shrines and others (“other”) have been introduced.

The history of the foundation of the Calced Carmelite Church in Wola Gułowska

In 1633, Ludwik Krasiński († after 1644) was given a consent by Bishop Jan Albert Waza to establish a Calced Carmelite monastery on Krasiński’s property in Wola Gułowska. The foundation of the Carmelite congregation, far from much frequented trails, was in line with eremitic ideas and spirituality of the order. The Wola Gułowska monastery became a second largest (after Krakow) Carmelite monastery in terms of the number of monks. The monastery in Wola Gułowska had a formative character, with the novitiate and philosophical studies. In the 17th century the church became an important Marian sanctuary, as it possessed a much venerated painting of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus dating back to the early 15th, late 16th century.The construction of the church, commenced in 1659, took considerable funds. Not only was it supported by the Krasiński family, but also by many representatives of aristocratic families, local landlords and priests, such as canons Michał Krassowski and Mikołaj Firlej. The three-nave basilica church was being built for over 100 years and in several stages. It was the funds gathered in the 18th century that allowed the builders to complete the two-tower partitioned facade in the years 1770–1780. In the middle of the 18th century, the altars were made in the church by monastic sculptors Grzegorz Kaczyrek and Izydor Mastalski. The seventeenth-century designers of the church or of its eighteenth century façade still remain unknown.

Od pogańskiego miejsca kultu do chrześcijańskiego sanktuarium – Święta Lipka i Gietrzwałd na tle krajobrazu sakralnego Wa

Święta Lipka and Gietrzwałd are amongst the most famous Marian sanctuaries associated with Warmia. Gietrzwałd is located in the southern part of Warmia, and Święta Lipka just outside its eastern border, but its fate was inseparably connected with Warmia. It is presumed that some churches in Warmia were built near places associated with pagan worship. These could be, amongst others: Ełdytach, Lidzbark Warminski, Plutach and Świątkach. Apparently, Christianity, which inititally destroyed pagan symbols, over the long term took advantage of local sacred traditions attributed to sacred pagan sites. This was primarily expressed in the construction of churches that took over part of the traditions of places of ancient worship, such as Święta Lipka and Gietrzwałd. The first information concerning pagans at Lake Dejnowa (Denow) dates back to 1340. It is widely known that since the 15th century there was quite a common pilgrimage to the linden tree, which pilgrims considered sacred due to the appearance of the Virgin Mary at the site. Already in the 15th century, there was a chapel next to the linden. The Jesuits established themselves there from 1639. Since then, Lipka has become an important centre of Marian devotion. The presence of a cult site near Gietrzwałd can be indicated by the text of the Prussian oath written in the Iuera Pruthenorum, in which the nearby Lake Rentyńskie (formerly Gilbing) appears: “I put this Prussian court deep as Gilbing, as high as the oak, as strong as stone, if this is correct or incorrect” The conclusion is that the archaic cult centre continued in nearby Gietrzwałd. In 1877 a Marian apparition was seen here.

MAGNIFICAT W IKONOGRAFII

The article focuses on the examples of the works of art that invokeassociations with „The Magnificat”. The author points to an isolatedcase of a Botticelli painting, where the link between the Canticleof Mary and the painting itself is verbatim. Bp. Janocha also presentsan example of an allegoric representation of „The Magnificat”,analysing the pulpit from the Marian sanctuary in Wambierzyce inLower Silesia (fig. 9) — the pulpit, made in 1723, is the work of KarolSebastian Flacker, a woodcarver from Kłodzko.

Unusual Rebuilding Method of Historic St Mary’s Cathedral in the Capital of Western Australia

St Mary’s Cathedral is the Archbishop church of the Archdiocese in Perth in Western Australia. The presented sacral building was built in neo-Gothic style during the years 1863-1865. Cathedral was officially dedicated and opened for the service on 29<sup>th</sup> January, 1865. In 1973 was proclaimed the Marian Sanctuary and now represents one of the largest religious facilities in Perth. In 2005, the city authorities, together with the Archdiocese took a collective decision on the necessity of a comprehensive renovation of this sacred object. The renovation was due to the technical condition and the lack of usability of the object. The author of the paper had the opportunity to experience these problems by visiting this place several times, first time in 1989 and next years. Thus, the renovation of the present Cathedral was in its assumption not only to perform maintenance of the building and its specific architectural elements but also to increase its functional features - usable for the faithful and tourists. Reconstruction of St Mary’s Cathedral in Perth can be a good example increasing the wider functionality of such facilities while keeping their antique and historical qualities. In this paper the above-mentioned issues will be more widely developed by the author.

Nuestra Señora del Rosario en el Santuario Mariano: hermandades y devociones negros en Salvador y el Recôncavo Baiano (siglo XVIII)

Organized by Frei Agostinho de Santa Maria and published in 1722, the Marian Sanctuary and History of the Miracles image of Our Lady consist the registrations of marian invocations worshiped in Portuguese territory, made by clergymen from differents parishes in the xviii century. The ninth volume deal witch the invocations found in Bahia. In this article we mean to use this text as a study sourse for the history religious belief, as well as in the study of the Catholic religiosity history among the black people in the reconcavo baiano. The reconcavo baiano was one of the most important region of the sugar cane production in the American Portuguesa in that period where concentrated an expressive population of black people that was used in the slave labor in that production. Our analysis which has as a main objective of study Our Lady of Rosario worship in the brotherhoods and the black people’s devotions in that region. Seeking to understand at first the motivation for such worship, experienced in the context of the slavery. Subsequently we will concentrate our analysis in the aspects linked to its growth and development, such as celebrations for their Patroness, and the use of images in moments of celebrations. From here it’s necessary to comprehend how the place of the black, as a slave or a free man, marked the relations established and the differents moments of celebrations.

Pilgrimages: Space, Polysemy and Three Cases

This article is based on a study of the existing literature and field work on sites of pilgrimages. It is structured in three parts: pilgrimage and space, the polysemy of pilgrimages and a presentation of three examples of pilgrimages. First we discuss the relationship of pilgrimages with space. Going on pilgrimage implies a “displacement” towards a “particular place”, where there is an “internal circuit” laid out for pilgrims and visitors. Finally, we point out the “territory of recruitment”, where the pilgrims live. In a second part we discuss the polysemy of the pilgrimages. Persons may go on pilgrimage towards historic places of a religion to “revive” its message. It may also be “an act of devotion” or a “penitential activity”. Pilgrimages were and still are an “affirmation of an identity” and finally we stress “the logic of requests”. These are analytical distinctions but pilgrimages are mostly a combination of these functions. Finally, we present three examples of pilgrimages: one to the Relic of the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ in Bruges (Belgium), another to a Marian sanctuary in Banneux (Belgium) and finally the pilgrimage to St James of Compostela (Spain).

Recepcja grafik z cyklu maryjnego Gottfrieda Bernharda Göza w malarstwie monumentalnym kręgu lwowskiego w XVIII wieku

The graphic series dedicated to the Mother of God, defined as Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, by Gottfried Bernhard Goz (1708-1774) was an inspiration for the monumental painting of the Rococo period in Poland in the times of the Saxon kings. The series of engravings with a devotional character made by the stipple engraving technique presents twelve signed Marian scenes: the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Presentation of Mary, the Marriage of Mary and Joseph, the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Purification, and then images of Our Lady of Sorrows, Assumption of Mary. The next scenes are connected with Mary’s patronage - as the Queen of the Rosary and with her intercession. The prints, as researchers of Goz’s work assume, prove his mature style that was shaped in the years 1737-1740, when he formed a publishing “company” together with the Klauber brothers, Joseph Sebastian and Johann Baptist. He used the motifs occurring in the series many times e.g. on the vault of the nave in the Dominican sisters St Stefan Church in Habsthal (1748; Upper Swabia), in the sketch and painting for the Cistercians Monastery in Birnau (1748-1750). These motifs were also found in Bavarian Marian sanctuaries, e.g. Frauenchiemsee, Maria Mitleid Kapelle and Mater Dolorosa Kapelle with paintings by Balthasar Furtner (1761) and in the church in Niederaschau and in Klein Mariazell (1763-1765). References to the series may also be found in the area of Slovenia - on the vault of Grajska kapela in Novo Celje (1758-1763). The prints were known to the circle of Lvov artists active in the 18 th century and they were used as models for numerous figural compositions. First of all the Lvov painter Stanislaw Stroinski (1719-1802) used them for the decorations, among others, of the interior of the Franciscan Marian sanctuary in Lezajsk, in the Franciscan Holy Spirit Church in Krystynopol (1756-1759 (now it is Chervonohrad in the Ukraine), and in the decoration of the St Anna Chapel in the Holy Trinity Benedictine Church in Przemyśl. The series of prints was also used by the painter Gabriel Slawinski in the decoration of the chancel in the St Lawrence Parish Church in Żolkiewka and on the vault of the Pauline St Louis Church in Wlodawa. The engravings are a significant model for Polish painting because of their style, technique and an original approach to a conventional religious subject.

Turismo Religioso: Fátima no Contexto dos Santuários Marianos Europeus

This article seeks to assess the extent to which the motivations of visitors to the Sanctuary of Fatima and the reception conditions the city offers correspond to their expectations and are at the level of three other European Marian sanctuaries (Lourdes, Loreto and Banneux). The comparison is based on a questionnaire survey conducted in the four sanctuary cities to a total of 310 visitors. The overwhelming majority of the respondents are Catholic, have a high academic qualification, come from many countries and visit the shrine cities primarily for religious reasons. Fatima appears as a reference in matters such as religious provision, quality of information, transport and access, traffic and parking, organization and cleanliness of the space, but has some weaknesses at other levels. The larger sanctuary cities are considered the most singular and irreplaceable. The overwhelming majority of visitors intend to return and/or recommend the visit.