Polskie ślady w Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Łaskawej na Mentorelli
POLISH TRACES AT THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF GRACE OF MENTORELLA

Summary/Abstract: Mentorella is one of the oldest Marian shrines in Italy. Polish Resurrectionists have been ministering there for more than 160 years. According to tradition, the sanctuary stands at the site of the conversion of the Roman tribune Placidus (turn of the first and second centuries A.D.). Pope Gregory I the Great gave Mentorella to the Benedictines of Subiaco. Their 500-year stay left a legacy in form of fragments of ninth-century architecture, a Romanesque temple from the 12th century and several artefacts (the most important being a statue of Our Lady of Mentorella).The next keepers of the sanctuary were the Jesuits, who took care of the place until the order’s suppression in 1773. A visible sign of their presence is the painting of St Stanislaus Kostka in the church. In 1857, Pope Pius IX entrusted the abandoned church and monastery to the newly formed Resurrectionist congregation founded by Poles. Owing to their efforts, the church buildings were renovated, and the church was decorated with paintings and artefacts made by members of the congregation and renowned artists, including Edward Brzozowski and Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski. Before 1970, stained glass windows were made, which were part of the celebration of the millennium of the baptism of Poland in Italy. The earliest surviving entry of Karol Wojtyła in the guest book of the Mentorelli Shrine dates back to 1965. The hierarch visited the place more than 30 times, including eight times as pope. These were private visits, focused on prayer and rest. Currently, one can visit the so-called Papal Room, with collected artefacts of John Paul II. The 502 mountain trail named Sentiero Karol Wojtyla is also a reminder of his visits. The Pope is also commemorated by a bronze statue placed in front of the church entrance. Dozens of photographs of the visits by Pope John Paul II and Polish President Andrzej Duda to the shrine are on display in one of the rooms on the first floor of the monastery building.

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