Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Stara Wieś

Medals available at the “Pod Parnasem” Pilgrimage Center!

Stara Wieś is a village located about 50 km south of Rzeszów. The magnificent temple visible from afar is the largest Marian sanctuary in Subcarpathia. It houses the miraculous crowned image of the Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin Mary from the first half of the 16th century, venerated not only by local people but also by pilgrims from Slovakia and Hungary. From 1728 to 1784, the Pauline Fathers honored Our Lady of Stara Wieś, and since 1821 to the present day, the Jesuit Fathers have served the Merciful Mother of Stara Wieś. The Stara Wieś College also serves as the Novitiate House for the Jesuits of the Southern Poland Province. The retreat house at the college is run by the Sisters of Entrustment.

The temple is brick-built, plastered in a sand-colored hue typical of its construction period. Its majestic appearance is enhanced by two symmetrical towers, raised by one story in the mid-19th century. They are crowned with copper spires inspired by those of St. Anne’s Church in Kraków, whose present form is credited to Stanisław Krzyżanowski. The reconstruction was prompted by a fire in 1886. The facade of the Stara Wieś church reflects late Baroque fashion. It is vertically divided by subtly outlined pilasters that separate three portals, topped with superstructures, leading into the church interior and forming an elegant finish to the tower edges. Horizontally, it is given expression by prominent cornices separating the main nave level from the towers. The facade of the main nave section is slightly concave-convex, lending the whole a simple elegance and lightness. Above the portals are windows of clear glass. Through them, in the evenings, the temple is bathed in the light of the setting sun.