A new mosaic honoring Our Lady of Gietrzwald was inaugurated in the Vatican Gardens on June 30, 2026. The ceremony was attended by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, along with Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdansk, president of the Polish bishops’ conference, and Archbishop Józef Górzynski of Warmia-Mazury. Archbishop Wojda said the installation could strengthen ties between Poland and the Holy See. “In inaugurating this mosaic, we believe it will contribute to an even deeper relationship between Poland and the Holy See,” he said, adding that Poland is awaiting a visit from Pope Leo XIV.
The mosaic comes ahead of major celebrations in 2027 marking the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions in Gietrzwald, a village in northeastern Poland’s Warmian-Masurian lake region. Often called the “Polish Lourdes,” the sanctuary is where the Virgin Mary was reported to have appeared about 160 times over two months in 1877. Archbishop Wojda said that from now on, Mary “will remain permanently present in this place, reminding the world of what matters most: prayer, conversion, and trust in God.”
He described the apparitions as a unique gift to the Polish nation. At a time when Polish language and culture were under pressure, he noted, the Blessed Mother spoke in Polish to two young girls. “It was a sign that God does not forget his children, and that Mary remains close to her sons and daughters even when history places them before difficult trials,” he said. The archbishop called the mosaic “much more than a work of art,” saying it is a sign of presence and a testimony to a nation that has long repeated: “Mary, Queen of Poland, I stand by you, I remember, I keep watch.”
According to Archbishop Wojda, placing an image so deeply rooted in Poland’s spiritual history near the See of Peter shows that the Church “breathes with the richness of nations, languages and traditions.” He said the event means “today Gietrzwald comes to the Vatican, and Poland brings to the heart of the Church a part of its history, its faith, and its spirituality.” The mosaic was also presented as an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit Poland.
Polish bishops and President Karol Nawrocki, who visited the Vatican in September 2025, have extended that invitation. If the pope accepts, the quiet sanctuary could become a center for international pilgrimage and renewed Marian devotion.
The 1877 events in Gietrzwald remain distinctive in Church history. Two young girls reported around 160 apparitions, sometimes twice a day, in one of the longest recorded series of Marian apparitions. Unlike other well-known sites, the visionaries had weeks of dialogue with Mary about both theological topics, including the Immaculate Conception, and everyday concerns. Filmmaker Jan Sobierajski, who recently completed a documentary on Gietrzwald, noted that these are still the only Marian apparitions on present-day Polish soil officially recognized by the Holy See, yet the shrine remains little known outside Poland.