Happy Monday, Friends! Today while out running errands I decided to finally visit the famous National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA. I’ve seen signs for it ever since we moved here and out of curiosity swung by for a visit today.
I don’t pretend to know how to correctly pronounce the name of the shrine because it is Polish-American but phenetically you can probably do just as well as I. The Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa is located off of Ferry Road in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. I did a little research and took a few pictures. This, of course, made me realize I desperately need the following. A-A zoom lens and B-photography lessons.
That withstanding, the Shrine and the property are beautiful! Via Wikipedia I discovered that the 170 acre property was purchased in 1953 by a Polish monk named Father Micheal M. Zembruski with “the intention of building a chapel dedicated to the Black Madonna of Czestochowas at Jasna Gora, Poland’s most important religious icon. The purpose was to reconnect Polish-Americans to their Polish-Catholic roots.” I did not go inside, thus did not see the famous Black Madonna. This is the entrance to the Shrine.
I did see some of the property and outer buildings. The current facility houses a chapel, cemetery, various monuments, a monastery, visitor’s center and cafeteria. I was raised a Southern Baptist, so the Catholic religion is different than my upbringing. However, I have lots of friends who are Catholic so I can respect and appreciate all of the symbolism of this beautiful place. The statuary is spectacular.
This is on the front of the main chapel, I believe. There are several alcoves, each with a beautiful statue.
This appears to be a bell tower topped with a cross.
This is the Shrine when you first enter the property grounds near the road. I think it would be pretty to see at night. There were flood lights at the base so I imagine it is always lit at night.
She is very tall and majestic. Now that I see the pictures, the cloudy day kind of sets the mood.
This is when I really wanted a zoom lens. So beautiful! I’m so glad I went to see the shrine finally. You don’t need to be Catholic to appreciate what a gorgeous facility this is. They sure don’t make churches like this anymore, right?
Hopefully I got the facts right about this beautiful shrine and facility. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see another of the many fascinating treasures of Doylestown before we move. I hope you have a lovely evening. xox Dell
