For more than 400 years, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska has been attracting crowds of people who want to get to know this unique and charming sanctuary. Today, both pilgrims and tourists are tempted by the prospect of visiting this unusual place, as well as the opportunity to commune with centuries-old history and unspoiled nature while walking along the famous Kalwaria paths.

The history of this place goes back to the beginning of the 17th century and is related to the activities of one of the magnates, Mikołaj Zebrzydowski, the then voivode of Kraków. According to some legends, the beginnings of Kalwaria should be traced back to the Holy Week of 1595 when Mikołaj and his wife, Dorota, saw three crosses from the windows of their residence in the castle in Lanckorona, which shone on the nearby Żarek Hill. It is believed that this supernatural event inspired them to found the future Kalwaria.

It was on the initiative of Zebrzydowski that the Chapel of the Crucifixion was erected in 1600-1601, which then became the nucleus of the future extensive architectural concept. The Chapel of the Crucifixion was modelled on the Jerusalem chapel – one of Zebrzydowski’s courtiers brought a plaster model (of both the chapel and the Holy Sepulchre) from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1597.

And so the construction began. The cornerstone was laid on 4 October 1600, and the consecration took place the following year. It was carried out by a papal nuncio, Klaudiusz Rangoni, and the Bishop of Kraków, Bernard Maciejowski. Initially, according to Zebrzydowski’s plans, the chapel was to serve as a place for family prayer, but over time that idea turned into a desire to create a Calvary and bring there the Bernardine Order from Kraków. The idea was already evident in 1602 when Zebrzydowski suggested the establishment of a monastery to the Kraków Bernardines, and the term ‘Calvary’ was also used at that time.

The entrance to the impressive Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels is preceded by two large squares. The first one, Pilgrimage Square (also known as Fair Square), in a way separates the two spheres; the sacred and the profane, thus creating a kind of symbolic border, which is a fence with figures of saints. This is where, for almost 400 years, crowds of visitors and pilgrims have set off on the tour around the sanctuary. The space is marked by a fence leading to Rajski Square and two-storey buildings situated on the right side (when facing the basilica), with balconies on the first floor. They were built in the 18th century, when the sanctuary was under the care of the powerful Czartoryski family and, more specifically, they should be linked to the figure of Józef Czartoryski. It was already in the 2nd half of the 17th century that the Zebrzydowski family, in the absence of male lineal descendants, stopped playing its role in history, and Kalwaria was given to the Czartoryski family, as the daughter of Michał Zebrzydowski, Anna, married Jan Karol Czartoryski.

Once you go through the gate in the fence, you enter Rajski Square. This space was arranged during the thorough reconstruction and renovation of the friary, when Fr Gaudenty Thynell was the guardian. The fence itself is noteworthy, sine its stone pillars have figures (funded by the Wielopolski family ruling Sucha Beskidzka at the time) of the following saints: John of Dukla, Bernardino of Siena, Louis, Clare, Mother of God, Jesus, St Francis of Assisi, Bonaventure, Anthony of Padua, and Blessed Szymon of Lipnica. Most of them were made by Tomasz Gałuszczyński in 1823 (some studies mention 1822).

When entering the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, you go through a stone portal, with a cartouche with the coat of arms of Magdalena Czartoryska (Vytis) above. We should go back to the times of Mikołaj Zebrzydowski’s foundation plans and mention that he wanted the church to be dedicated to St Michael the Archangel. Taking into account the fact that it was intended for the Bernardines, St Francis of Assisi would be more suitable. The monks themselves chose a compromise solution, suggesting Our Lady of the Angels. The proposal was not immediately accepted, but, in the end, after his pilgrimage to Jasna Góra Monastery, Mikołaj Zebrzydowski agreed.

The façade of the basilica itself is saturated with historical elements. You can find here a statue of the Mother of God from 1837 (placed above the coat of arms) along with other architectural details from the time of reconstruction in 1934-36. The whole is completed by four figures of the evangelists, made in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Before introducing the most important cultural property items inside the basilica, we should at least introduce the most important pages from its complex history. And so, the original construction project for the church from the times of Mikołaj Zebrzydowski was significantly expanded during the times of Magdalena Czartoryska, the sanctuary’s guardian. It is worth mentioning here that she supported the monastery back in the times when she was in her estate in Klevan in Volhynia. As a widow, she moved into a cottage near the sanctuary. She did not live to see the implemented expansion plans she had financed, because she died in 1694.

Now let us go back to modern times: when crossing the threshold of the temple, we enter the spacious nave added to the chancel thanks to the efforts of Magdalena Czartoryska, her son-in-law, Józef Bogusław Słuszko, and Magdalena’s son, Józef Czartoryski. The interior is decorated with even pilasters and blind arcades with altars: on the north wall – of St John Capistran, St Michael the Archangel, and St Joseph, on the south wall – of St Dydyk, and Catherine of Alexandria. In addition, the interior is decorated with the altar of St Francis of Assisi and on the opposite – of St Mary Magdalene with a painting by Jan Majer from around 1754. The whole is completed by a polychrome depicting scenes from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary: the Nativity, the Annunciation, and the Coronation. The chancel arch, on the other hand, is covered with a polychrome showing the funeral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kalwaria. Both were created by an outstanding artist, Włodzimierz Tetmajer, who made them around 1914. What is noteworthy, the remaining interior decorations were made by Karol Politykański in the interwar period, based on Tetmajer’s work.

The original building founded by Zebrzydowski was located in the present chancel, with its vaulting dating back to 1604-1609. Initially, there were only three altars inside, in the main one there was a statue of Our Lady of the Angels, while the side ones were dedicated to St Anne and St Francis. The contemporary appearance is quite different from the original plan. The baroque main altar comes from 1732 and separates the chancel from the monastic choir. In the centre, there is a silver statue of Our Lady of the Angels that comes from Loreto. It was purchased by Mikołaj Zebrzydowski in 1590 through Bishop Bernard Maciejowski. The statue was specially consecrated by Pope Sixtus V.

Before it found its way to the future Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, it went on a long and interesting journey. Zebrzydowski decided to put it in the Jesuit church in Lublin, which he was co-funding with Bishop Maciejowski. Then it was moved to the Zebrzydowski Chapel at Wawel, from where it found its way to a place near the present sanctuary, i.e. the castle in Lanckorona. It was only in 1605, when the aristocrat became involved in the rebellion, that it was handed over to the Bernardines. Initially, it was a kind of deposit, as Zebrzydowski wanted to avoid a situation where such a valuable statue would end up in the hands of his political opponents. Luckily for the monastery, after the end of the confederation, he decided to let it stay in the hands of the monks.

In the part from the side of the choir, we can find the oldest early baroque cross that, interestingly, reflects the outline of the Kalwaria paths. Originally, it was located in the first Chapel of the Crucifixion.

The pipe organ placed in the matroneum, directly opposite the main altar, is also worth mentioning. Its history goes back to the 18th century, when it was funded by Teresa Kamocka of Brzezie, and it was built by Fr Euzebiusz Pasierbski. The case was gradually enriched with wood carving works from the beginning of the 19th century, among others. The statue of St Francis of Assisi watches over the entirety of that impressive and complex instrument. The baroque benches dating back to the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries are also worth mentioning.

Connections with the Zebrzydowski family are visible almost everywhere in the temple, for example, on the early baroque bronze candlesticks, you can find the Radwan coat of arms and the initials of Michał Zebrzydowski.