The Shrine of Our Lady of Okulice in Okulice
Medals can be purchased at the main entrance on the right!
Okulice is a village located in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, near the mouth of the Raba River on the Vistula (8 km), 15 km north-east of Bochnia and 11 km north-west of Brzesko, belonging to the municipality of Rzezawa. The village area is a lowland landscape of fields and meadows, surrounded by forest to the north-east.
Today’s name Okulice, in the past sounded slightly different. In medieval literature it appears in various forms: Uocolici, Ocolici, Ukolice, Okolycze. In the Middle Ages, Okulice belonged to the Tyniec monastery. The origins of the Okulice shrine are linked to this period.
Our Lady has been especially venerated in Okulice for centuries. However, there is no complete clarity as to how this lively and strong veneration was born. There are two different versions concerning the origins of this phenomenon.
The first has its origin in an old Okulice religious song dating probably from the end of the 18th century, which links the cult of the Virgin Mary in Okulice with the figure of the Cracow Prince Bolesław Wstydliwy (Pudyk). The song states that the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared to him and gave him a sword at a critical moment of the battle with the Tartars, thanks to which he was victorious. As a token of his gratitude, the Duke decided to build a chapel in honour of Our Lady, which was to stand on the site of the apparition. This version is also given by Fr Alojzy Fridrich in his History of the Miraculous Images of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Poland, published in Krakow in 1903, but he does not mention the name of the Duke.
The second version concerning the origins of the cult of the Virgin Mary speaks of Leszek the Black, the successor of Pudyk. It was to him that Our Lady was said to have appeared in similar circumstances to Bolesław the Chaste. According to studies of the period, Leszek the Black fought a victorious battle against rebels on the Raba River near Bogucice.
Perhaps historians will be able to determine which event is crucial for Okulice. However, both versions emphasise the role of Bishop Paweł of Przemankowo, which in turn points to the figure of the Cracow Prince Bolesław Wstydliwy (Pudyk) and the history associated with him.
The cult of the Virgin Mary in Okulice is still alive. Pilgrims come in front of the miraculous image all year round, especially on Sundays and holidays. They take water from a nearby well, believing in its miraculous healing power, especially for eye diseases. The largest influx of crowds, numbering in the thousands, takes place on the annual indulgenced feast days: on Pentecost with its octave and on the Sunday after the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The faithful gather in increasing numbers at the Perpetual Novena celebrated every Wednesday. They recommend to Our Lady’s intercession all matters of concern to them, especially health, rescue in misfortunes, and give thanks for graces received. Books of graces from previous centuries, as well as from before and after the coronation, bear witness to the prayers heard.
