The Shrine of St John Paul II in Krakow
Medals are available at the papomats at the entrance to the Sanctuary!
On 11 June 2011 Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz solemnly erected the Sanctuary of Blessed John Paul II in Łagiewniki in Krakow. On that day the Holy Father’s relics were introduced in a procession into the Church of Relics in the ‘Do not be afraid!’ Centre. The lower part of the church was consecrated and dedicated to the Blessed Polish Pope. This moment began the official veneration of John Paul II in this place. The President of the John Paul II Centre ‘Do not be afraid!’, the Episcopal Vicar, Monsignor Jan Kabzinski, was appointed Custos of the Shrine.
The ‘Do not be afraid!’ Centre received relics of John Paul II. The most precious of these is the blood taken from the Pope during one of his last examinations at the Gemelli Clinic before his death. A papal pastoral cross, mitre and chasuble used by the Holy Father also arrived from Rome.
The ampoule with the Pope’s blood, enclosed in a glass casket, was placed inside a marble altar standing in the middle of the octagonal Church of the Relics. The coats of arms of John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz were placed on the marble floor. On the walls are paintings depicting the Holy Father visiting the most famous Marian shrines in the world.
In the Sanctuary, the faithful can also see a slab from the tomb of John Paul II coming from the Vatican Grottoes of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The slab is located in the Chapel of the Chaplaincy, designed on the model of St Leonard’s crypt on Wawel Hill, where Father Karol Wojtyla celebrated his Primate Mass. The slab holds a reliquary in the form of an open Gospel book, the pages of which were turned by the wind during the Pope’s funeral.
At the present time, finishing work is being carried out independently on the chapels and oratories located around the Church of the Relics. The oratories will be dedicated to Marian shrines, from all over the world, while the chapels will be for prayer. At the same time, work is under way on the upper church level.
The John Paul II Centre ‘Do not be afraid!’ cordially invites you to visit the Shrine of Blessed John Paul II, the Pope and to give testimony of solidarity thanks for the Person and graces of the pontificate of the Polish Pope.
The Sanctuary is part of the John Paul II Centre ‘Do not be afraid!’, which is being built on the so-called ‘White Seas’ in Krakow.
‘As a special place of veneration and obtaining divine graces through the intercession of Blessed John Paul II, it enjoys the privilege of obtaining a plenary indulgence by the faithful’. – wrote Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz in his erecting decree.
Pilgrims can obtain a plenary indulgence at this place on, among other things, the patron saint’s day on 22 October and once a year during a pilgrimage to this place, in accordance with the Church’s requirements under the usual conditions (sacramental confession, reception of Holy Communion, exclusion of any attachment to sin and any prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father).
