The Shrine and Healing Spring at Komanowa Gόra

     In 1867, one Wawrzyniec Gόra, a miller from Radecznice near Zamość in Poland,  had a dream in which the Mother of God appeared to him and told him to build a shrine near a miraculous spring in a town near a large river. 

     Looking throughout the region for such a place, he wandered into the town of Krzeszowa and was directed by the residents to a nearby local spring.  According to local tradition, upon the water of a small pulsating spring, the Mother of God was to have appeared and from that time on the water took on miraculous healing powers. To this very 21st century day, the faithful come to collect the water to treat various illness, but especially that of the eyes. 

When Wawrzyniec saw the spring and its location on the San River, he realized it was the place he saw in his dream.

​He returned to Radecznice, took wood and a mill stone which he used as the the foundation, and built this chapel. 

Above the door is the dedication to Wawrzyniec Gόra, dated July 16, 1867





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The interior is also beautifully maintained and decorated with Our Lady of Częstochowa at the center 
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On the ceiling is the six-petaled "rozeta" (rosette) a decorative motif in Polish folk architecture  to adorn walls, ceilings or beams in the region known at the time as Galicia.


The chapel and surrounding area is maintained by free-will offerings of pilgrims and visiting guests.

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     In the 1990’s, another larger chapel was built nearby and dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. Every third Sunday from May to October a mass is said in the larger chapel and on the 15th of September, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows, a Feast Day mass is celebrated.

 On the left of the photo are benches for the faithful to rest, to pray, to collect oneself.  Mounted on the pine tree above the Polish flag is another little shrine dedicated to Our Lady. You can also see the tip of the roof  covering the spring.  And beyond that, blending in with the sky, the San River - all from a dream and the faith of one man made manifest on the landscape of Poland.

Many thanks for reading. A very special thank you to my cousin Joanna ​Stańczyk who visited there recently, took these photos and kindly shared with me. ​You're the best! Dzięki!

If you would like to know more about the why and how of Poland's very rich tradition of establishing roadside shrines you may enjoy reading: Spirit of Place: The Roadside Shrines of Poland (2023) Hippocrene Books, Inc. A special promotion of 40% off on all my books is available through Indiepubs.com with the promo code HIPPOCRENE40. indiepubs.com/search?type=product&q=sophie+hodorowicz+knab