History of the church

St Martin's Basilica in Pacanów is one of the oldest parish churches in Poland. The parish has existed here for more than nine centuries, and since the 17th century the church has been the centre of devotion to the Dying Lord Jesus, which made it a sanctuary. In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI raised the church to the rank of a minor basilica.

Historical outline

The history of the church in Pacanów goes back to the beginning of the 12th century. In 1110 Maurus, then Bishop of Kraków, established the parish of St Martin at the request of its founder, Siemian of the Niegodzic family, as the chronicler Jan Długosz records. Długosz's Liber beneficiorum tells us that in the 13th century Pacanów belonged to the Nagodzic-Jelita family, also known as the Koślichrogi. Some historians link the well-known Polish saying "In Pacanów they shoe goats" ("W Pacanowie kozy kują") with the name and coat of arms of the Koślichrogi ("goat's horns"). In 1419 Florian of Mokrsko became the owner of Pacanów; at his request King Casimir IV Jagiellon confirmed the town's rights under Teutonic law.

In the 17th century the estate passed to Mikołaj Zebrzydowski, the well-known Voivode of Kraków, who founded the Chapel of St Anne. In 1633 the Chapel of the Lord Jesus was added to the south wall of the church through the efforts of Sebastian Żegalicz, parish priest of Książnice. The church was badly damaged in 1657 during the invasion of the army of George II Rákóczi. After the Swedish Deluge it was rebuilt in the Baroque style, and its interior was furnished in the same style. On 25 July 1679 Bishop Mikołaj Oborski consecrated the high altar of St Martin.

The church was enlarged in 1785–1790 through the efforts of Fr Michał Sołtyk, and the Chapel of St Anne was extended at the same time. Almost a hundred years later, between 1880 and 1890, the church was thoroughly restored. On 8 June 1895 the renovated church was consecrated by Tomasz Teofil Kuliński, Bishop of Kielce. Sadly, on 20 September 1906 the church was destroyed by fire, and it burned again during the fighting of 1944. The chapel and the miraculous figure of the Lord Jesus survived the flames. After the war the church was rebuilt.

The chancel contains a modern altar from 1960 designed by the engineer Józef Jamróz. At its centre stands a ceramic figure of Our Lady standing on the globe. On the north side is the altar of St Joseph, on the south side the altar of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The chancel and the side aisles are decorated with polychrome paintings made in 1963 by Prof. Maciej Makarewicz, and the windows hold stained glass with figures of saints. On the south side is the Chapel of the Dying Lord Jesus with the miraculous figure of the Crucified. Crypts survive under the chapel and under part of the church.

On 19 August 2008 Pope Benedict XVI granted the church in Pacanów the title of Minor Basilica. The decision was announced on 14 September 2008 by the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Józef Glemp, during the parish feast Mass on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Timeline

Beginnings (12th–13th century)

1110–1117 – Maurus, Bishop of Kraków, consecrates the church dedicated to St Martin. It was founded by a local knight, Siemian of the Niegodzic family. The bishop endowed the church with tithes from the surrounding villages, and the patron gave an inn and a tithe of fish, calves, lambs, piglets and cheese. The anniversary of the dedication was celebrated on the first Sunday after St Bartholomew (24–30 August).
The foundation charter of the church in Pacanów is regarded as the oldest known foundation charter of a village church in Poland. The original has not survived – the text is known from a copy made by Bishop Iwo Odrowąż.
15 August 1219 – at the request of the lord of the village, Pakosław, Bishop Iwo Odrowąż renews the charter and confirms Bishop Maurus's endowments.
1239 – five-year-old St Kinga passes through Pacanów on her way from Wojnicz to Sandomierz after her betrothal to Bolesław the Chaste.
1241 – the Tatar invasion; the church is destroyed.
1265 – Bolesław the Chaste grants Pacanów town rights (Pacanów remained a town until 1869).

The Middle Ages and the age of kings (14th–16th century)

1326 – the parish belongs to the deanery of Książnice.
1333 – a hospice for the poor, the homeless and orphans operates next to the church.
1502 – another Tatar raid destroys the church; near Pacanów the Polish army led by Jan Wapowski wins a victory.
1583 and 1585 – King Stephen Báthory stays in Pacanów, and in 1595 – King Sigismund III Vasa.
around 1600 – a bell tower is added to the nave; its walls still stand today.

The birth of the sanctuary (17th century)

1610 – Mikołaj Zebrzydowski, Voivode of Kraków, builds the Chapel of St Anne; soon afterwards Fr Bucki, with the help of the Bernardine Fathers, founds the Archconfraternity of St Anne.
1615 – the figure of the Dying Lord Jesus is brought into the church from the chapel of the hospice. Friday devotions begin – the start of a devotion that continues to this day.
1622 – Discalced Carmelite nuns from Kraków take refuge from the plague in Pacanów.
1633 – on the initiative of Fr Sebastian Żegolicz, parish priest of Książnice, the Renaissance Chapel of the Miraculous Lord Jesus is built against the south wall of the church, and the figure is moved into it.
1634 – a figure of St Barbara is set up on a tall column (today in Biechowska Street).
1649 – the raid of Bohdan Khmelnytsky's Cossacks.
1657/1658 – during the "Deluge" the church is set on fire by Hungarian troops of Rákóczi's army, allied with the Swedes. Fr Jacek Mokrski undertakes the rebuilding.
25 July 1679 – Bishop Mikołaj Oborski consecrates the high altar in honour of St Martin.

The 18th and 19th centuries

1765 – funded by the Parys family, owners of Pacanów, 14 Stations of the Cross are made and canonically erected by the Reformed Franciscans of Stopnica.
1783 – visitation by Bishop Kozicki; Słupiec and Kółko Żabieckie are joined to the parish.
1800 – the Little Office (Godzinki) begins to be sung before the morning Mass, and from 1891 – the Rosary after the morning Mass.
1850 – the parish cemetery is founded; 1864 – a chapel is built in it.
1866 – a lithograph of the Miraculous Cross is made in Warsaw; by 1890 more than ten thousand holy pictures had been given to pilgrims.
1874 – Fr Wawrzyniec Nowakowski builds the presbytery; earlier (1870) he had built a hospice for the poor and orphans.
1880–1895 – restoration of the church, a new porch (1881), new altars; 1895 – the church and its altar are consecrated again by Bishop Tomasz Teofil Kuliński, and a painting of St Mary Magdalene beneath the cross is placed on the shutter that covers the Miraculous Cross (Franciszek Nawalny).

Fires and rebuilding (20th century)

20 September 1906 – fire destroys most of the church. The Chapel of the Lord Jesus survives. The rebuilding is led by Fr Badowski and then Fr Adam Adamek, to designs by Zasadzki of Stopnica; it is completed in 1935.
1919 – the deanery of Pacanów is created (abolished in 1958).
June 1936 – Bishop Franciszek Sonik consecrates the rebuilt church, places in it relics of the martyrs Pius and Linus and blesses the bell "Jan".
1938 – the Canonesses of the Holy Spirit come to the parish, and in 1951 – the Albertine Sisters in Słupia.
1942 – Fr Wincenty Wojtaśkiewicz, a native of Pacanów, dies in Auschwitz.
17 August 1944 – during the fighting on the front line the church burns once again. The Chapel of the Dying Lord Jesus survives again – scorched fragments of the altar and the pews can still be seen today.
1945–1958 – Fr Adam Adamek rebuilds the church; from 1956 the work is led by Fr Feliks Skrobisz, later parish priest: new oak doors, steps, a lantern on the chapel dome, and a large altar designed by the engineer Józef Jamróz.
1960–1969 – organ (1960), consecration of the high altar and the altar of St Anne (1961), polychrome paintings in the chancel (from 1963), restoration of the Miraculous Crucifix, Stations of the Cross by Prof. Maciej Makarewicz painted on copper (1966), stained glass (1968), the bells "Maria" and "Marcin" (1969).

Recent times

1982 – Fr Lucjan Sito becomes parish priest. Bishop Mieczysław Jaworski introduces the Stations of the Cross every Friday. Part of the parish becomes the new parish of Rataje.
1985–1987 – the pilgrimage of the Holy Cross through the Diocese of Kielce sets out from Pacanów; St John Paul II sends a telegram for its start. Its conclusion in 1987 gathers four bishops and about 10,000 faithful.
1992–1993 – an open-air altar and a funeral chapel, blessed by Bishop Kazimierz Ryczan.
1998 – a Caritas centre opens in the parish.
2000 – the church is a station church of the Jubilee Year.
2001 – the Stations of the Cross "Seven Words from the Cross" and a figure of the Risen Christ by the open-air altar; the Pilgrims' House is renovated.
2001 – Fr Rafał Nowiński becomes curate.
2003–2009 – thorough renovation inside and around the church.
2004 – restoration of the polychrome paintings and of the figure of the Dying Lord Jesus, and gilding of the chapel altar.
2005 – a mechanism for the solemn unveiling and veiling of the figure of the Lord Jesus.
19 August 2008 – Benedict XVI raises the church to the rank of a minor basilica.
2010 – Mgr Lucjan Sito, parish priest for many years (since 1982), through whose efforts the church received the title of minor basilica, retires. Fr Leszek Domagała becomes parish priest and custodian of the sanctuary.
2017 – Fr Leszek Puchała becomes curate.
2023 – Fr Stanisław Kostucha becomes curate.
2026 – Fr Stanisław Picheta becomes parish priest and custodian of the sanctuary.

Did you know…

According to legend, three figures of the crucified Christ floated down the Vistula: the first stopped near the village of Mogiła near Kraków – it is now in the Cistercian abbey there; the second stayed in Pacanów; and the third reached Warsaw, where it can be seen today in the archcathedral.

Over the centuries the church in Pacanów was visited by saints and kings – among them St Kinga, King Stephen Báthory and King Sigismund III Vasa.

The sanctuary lived through its most tragic moments during the Second World War, when the front line ran through the town. Artillery fire destroyed many houses and the church. The Chapel of the Dying Lord Jesus was miraculously spared: a shell that hit it exploded but caused no damage. Another shell hit the church tower and can still be seen there – it was set into the tower wall as a memento.

The Russian soldiers who entered Pacanów wanted to destroy the miraculous image of Christ. Two soldiers tried to take down the cross when they were suddenly blinded by a bright light; frightened, they gave up the attempt. This is confirmed by many witnesses who had contact with the Soviet soldiers – such as Aniela Wnuk of Sroczków, who testified under oath that the Russians stationed in Pacanów spoke of this extraordinary event in the church and said that a "Mighty God" was there.

The timeline is based on the chronicle of St Martin's Church in Pacanów compiled by Henryk Góra and on the study by Fr Bronisław Marian Tarka, "Sanktuarium Pana Jezusa Konającego w Pacanowie" (Pacanów 2000), published on the former website of the sanctuary.