The Chapel of Saint Kinga of Wieliczka: a spectacular underground church in Poland

@ElentirENG ESPL 6·24·2024 · 23:02 0

Poland is a country with great Catholic devotion, and since very ancient times it has also been a land of large mining operations.

El Cementerio de los Mártires de Paracuellos de Jarama, en Madrid
The small church in the United Kingdom that pays tribute to the Polish airmen of the WW2

In the Krakow area, in the south of Poland, there is one of the oldest mines in the world still active: the Wieliczka mine. It reaches a depth of 327 meters and began to be excavated in the 13th century. Currently, more than 3 kilometers of tunnels are open to the public, accessible via a beautiful wooden staircase.

Inside there are several chapels, and one of them is the largest underground church in the world: the Chapel of Saint Kinga, a 13th century Polish saint who was the daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary and who was canonized in 1999 by Saint John Paul II. The chapel is 54 meters long, 18 meters wide and 12 meters high.

The Chapel of Saint Kinga is an authentic work of art made with rock salt, and masses are celebrated there regularly.

Due to its impressive beauty, the Wieliczka Mine was one of the first sites in the world to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

It must also be said that it is not the only Polish mine that has an underground chapel: there is also one in the Bochnia salt mine, in the center of the country and also of medieval origin. Currently, the Wieliczka Mine is the most visited underground site in the world, exceeding one million annual visitors before the pandemic.

You can watch here a video in English from TVP World about the fascinating Wieliczka Mine and about the Chapel of Saint Kinga:

And here is an official video of the Wieliczka Mine in English, since they have a guide in this language to guide you through the mine:

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Photos: Kopalnia Soli "Wieliczka".