The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Studzieniczna in Studzieniczna
Medals can be purchased from a vending machine by the wooden church!
Studzieniczna is a Marian sanctuary with a picture famous for its graces. The three characteristic features of this place are: the presence of the Virgin Mary, the beauty of nature and the silence of the hermitage favourable for contemplation and reflection. This specific Marian sanctuary in Studzieniczna is located on a so-called ‘island’ (today connected to the mainland by a causeway), on the outskirts of transport routes, almost completely surrounded by water, with white water lilies growing around the island. The origins of the Marian cult are linked to the history of the Camaldolese monastery in Wigry, which owned these lands since 1715. According to accounts from the 19th century, the origins of the Marian sanctuary in Studzieniczna should be linked to the settlement of a hermit on the island and the presence of an image of the Mother of God. Presumably, the first hermit, whose name is unknown, was one of the Camaldolese monks. Devotion to Our Lady and the presence of the hermit probably began to attract many pilgrims. He built a hut on the island and led a hermitic life.
The inhabitants of the surrounding settlements were full of admiration for the hermit’s ascetic lifestyle. They visited him, asking for prayer and advice on difficult matters. He inspired hope, lifted their spirits and prayed together with his interlocutors. Around 1728, the hermit left the island. Despite this, the influx of pilgrims did not diminish. The place considered sacred by the people, the Image as miraculous, continued to attract people from the surrounding wilderness and beyond. At the request of the Camaldolese prior, Fr Cyprian, the Bishop of Vilnius intervened in 1740 by appointing a commission. Its purpose was to investigate the basis of this devotion. In 1741, this commission gave a positive opinion of the events on the island. Before 1770, a second hermit, Wincenty Morawski, known by name, settled permanently on the island. He came from Vilnius, where he arrived on the island after securing his family’s material existence. He had previously served his homeland as a soldier with the rank of colonel. He undertook the mission of the first hermit, who was still remembered by local residents. Thanks to his boundless service, his devotion to the people, he gained the appreciation of the pilgrims who came. He also served them by, among other things, healing them with herbs. In the parish records he is mentioned as ‘the venerable Vincent of studzienice hermitage’. The works he did show us Wincenty Morawski as an educated and very energetic man. He called himself a ‘hermit brother’. In 1770, this hermit brother built a wooden, straw-covered chapel on the island from the offerings made by pilgrims.
In God’s economy, everything is aimed at man’s salvation, so it is not paramount that those who come to the island should delight in mere beauty. God is more concerned with bestowing graces on man, bringing him closer to Himself. Driven by this divine economy, the hermit Vincent went on foot to Rome. On 26 February 1782, he asked Pius VI for four indulgences for this place (specific graces for those who came here on Pentecost, St Anne, St John of Nepomuk and St Tecla). From Rome he brought with him three paintings of the aforementioned saints. Two of these paintings are still preserved today and are placed in the parish church, in the side altars (St John Nepomucen and St Tekla). The choice of these patron saints for Studzieniczna was not accidental, e.g. St. Tekla is the patron saint of hermits, St. John Nepomucen is the patron saint of sincere confession and good reputation. In later source records we find that ‘almost everyone is intent on going to confession’. In 1873, the local parish priest recorded that priests worked from dawn to dusk in confession, in the greatest congestion and under the open sky. St John of Nepomuk’s care was not just about confessions. He guarded the bridge connecting the island to the mainland and protected it from flooding (this is how he was established in the Church). To this day, at the edge of the island, there is a 19th century statue of this saint.
The wooden chapel on the island was unable to satisfy the spiritual needs of pilgrims coming from all directions. In 1786 a church was built. However, time quickly destroyed it and in 1847 the local people built the present parish church. The first priest took up permanent residence here in 1795. Priests changed frequently here. They were forced to leave Studzieniczna for their participation in national uprisings, and were even sent to Siberia.
In 1873. Studzieniczna became a parish. The parish church bears the title of Our Lady of the Scapular (the scapular is connected with Mount Carmel, which at one time was a mountain of hermits).
Pilgrims came to Our Lady of Studzinniczna from all over, from Mazovia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Gypsies. The place also became a refuge for persecuted Uniates. In the cemetery there is a symbolic grave of a priest, who was sentenced to Siberia for his help and service to the Uniates. Pilgrims usually reached the parish church, from where they continued their walk towards the island on their knees. Once there, they walked around the chapel on their knees three times. Bishop Straszyński, Bishop of Sejny, described the number of pilgrims as ‘very large’. One priest recorded that 20,000 pilgrims came to the Pentecost indulgence. There were so many that the laity took Mass intentions, as all the priests were busy hearing confessions.
The picture of Our Lady of Studzieniczna (a copy of the picture of Our Lady of Częstochowa), which is famous for its graces, is now located in a brick chapel. This chapel was built in 1872. The chapel was built in 1872 in neoclassical style, octagonal at the bottom, set on 64 oak piles driven into the ground. The painting inside was made in oil on canvas by an unknown author and dates from the 18th century. Many spiritual and physical healings have taken place here. Many spiritual and physical healings have taken place here. Wars, uprisings and sometimes burglaries and thefts have caused many of the more valuable mementoes to be looted.
A special moment in the history of the Sanctuary came on 17 September 1995, when the Icon of Our Lady was crowned with papal crowns. A special moment in the history of the Sanctuary was on 17 September 1995, when the Icon of Our Lady was crowned with papal crowns. The ceremony took place in the presence of the Episcopate, the clergy and a large crowd of pilgrims. Today, all major diocesan ceremonies are held here.
Another day that goes down in the history of the shrine is 9 June 1999. It was then that the most generous pilgrim, Pope John Paul II, arrived here. On his day off from his work and apostolic ministry, he arrived here by boat. He prayed in the chapel at the Icon of Our Lady, like every pilgrim who came here. This event is recreated by a monument to the Pope erected on the shore, at the junction of the lake and the island. The Holy Father, with a walking stick in his right hand, holds a rosary in his left. Also placed are the words spoken by the Pope at the time, ‘I have been here many times, but as Pope for the first and probably the last time’.
The island on which the chapel is located was originally connected to the mainland by a wooden bridge, later a causeway was laid. Next to the chapel is a well. This is the name given to the village of Studzieniczna, as well as the nearby Lake Studzieniczne. Pilgrims commonly believe that the water from this well has healing properties, especially for eye and skin diseases. By the alley leading from the church to the chapel on the island, there is an old oak tree (500 years old) remembering the two hermits, a living monument and witness to those events. The sanctuary in Studzieniczna is the silent presence of God in a beautiful landscape combined with the presence of the Mother in the Studzieniczna Picture. The silence of the hermitage here is conducive to prayer, reflection and deepening personal encounters with God.
