Votive offerings by magor65
The miraculous image of Our Lady attracts millions of pilgrims. They come here to pray, to ask for care and mercy or to thank for favour. For centuries the powerful and wealthy as well as the weak and poor have been coming to confide in Virgin Mary. Most Polish sovereigns left something here: Queen Bona Sforza - her wedding gown and maiden rosary; King Zygmunt the Old - golden monstrance; his son King Zygmunt August - his sceptre. From the latest history: Pope John Paul II gave the Gold Rose and Gold Heart and Lech Walesa his Nobel Prize and the enormous pen that he used while signing August agreements. You can admire most of these valuables in the Treasury. But votive offerings in form of ornamental plates, badges, plaques, heart images displayed everywhere are the true evidence of love and adoration of ordinary people for Holy Mother. It's worth mentioning here that Jasna Gora is the destination for pilgrims who come here from all over the world.The first group pilgrimage was the escort of the Holy Icon from Cracow, where the image was 'cured because of wounds' suffered during the robbery in 1430. Some pilgrims return here many times, like a woman from Warsaw who has come here more than 50 times, each time covering the distance of 200 km on foot. Probably the longest distance on foot is covered by groups of pilgrims from Hel who each year walk 650 km to be on Jasna Gora on August 15th.
