Pierwsza peregrynacja kopii obrazu Matki Boskiej Częstochowskiej w Sulęcinie 28 sierpnia 1949 roku
The first peregrination of the copy of the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Sulęcin, August 28, 1949

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of the article is to characterize the religious situation in the Recovered Territories at the end of 1940s through a case study of the events from Sulęcin. The author assumed that the new settlers were people of deep faith who cultivated old traditions. This enabled them to adjust to the new conditions following their forcible relocation from the Eastern to Western areas. The research problem focuses on the extraordinary event of bringing to Sulęcin a copy of the Miraculous Icon of Our Lady of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, on August 28, 1949. The following research questions were posed: why did the new settlers undertake this initiative, did they do it without the consent of communist authorities, who was the main originator of the events, as well as, what happened to him and to the copy of the painting thereafter. The settlers were distinguished by their strong Marian devotion. Traditional pilgrimages to Jasna Góra in Częstochowa were one way to show this. In August 1949, communist authorities denied permission for the settlers from Sulęcin’s Catholic parish to go on pilgrimage to Częstochowa. They decided to covertly bring a copy of the painting of Our Lady of Częstochowa to Sulęcin. The painting hangs in the church of St. Nicolas in Sulęcin to this day, serving as a symbol of local identity and integration of the parish community. The hypothesis concerning the settlers’ religiousness was confirmed, and shown to help them adapt to their new surroundings. On a methodological level, source analysis and comparative analysis were conducted. The article was based on sources such as archival documents, personal memories and local press accounts.

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