The Holy Virgin Mary`s Assumption Basilica - St Joseph`s Sanctuary

In the Basilica of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary there is a St Joseph Sanctuary and the miraculous picture of The Holy Family. There is the International St. Joseph Centre and a accomplished boys and men choir.

This late-gothic temple established from the foundation of Gniezno Archbishop Jarosław Skotnicki in 1353. Six years later it became a collegiate church. Since 1792 in late baroque style, it gained the shape of a three-aisled basilica. From the former church the presbytery and sacristy were left. There is s baroque picture of the Holy Family , which is surrounded with cult and recognized as miraculous, in St Joseph`s chapel. The collegiate church, one of five most important St Joseph`s cult centers in the World, is a destination of many pilgrimages. The main altar is decorated with a picture of Our Lady of Fire from the first half of the 14 th c. The most magnificent historical thing is a polyptych dating back to 1496. There is a chalice from 1363 – gift from King Casimir the Great, a Roman paten – a gift from Mieszko III, a gothic pax and late-gothic monstran. In the basement (from 1970) there is a chapel – monument in memory of the martyrdom of the Polish clergy in Dachau. Next to the church there is a classicist bell tower (ab. 1820). In 1978 Paul VI raised to a dignity of a Smaller Basilica. On June 4, 1997 John Paul prayed here.