The entrance to the Miechów basilica is through the antechapel adjoining the eastern façade of the church tower with a Crucifixion altar and a Baroque stoup visible in the antechapel. From there, we can walk through a black marble portal from 1714 to enter the southern nave. Its main altar dedicated to the Mother of God displays a beautiful copy of the Black Madonna painting from Jasna Góra. A painting of the Mother of God carried by two angels is located in the middle of the Baroque altar. Figures of St. Mary’s parents – St. Anna and St. Joachim – stand behind the pillars surrounding the altar. A glazed recess above the altar stone houses the relics of St. Constantius, which were brought here from Rome in the 18th century. A contemporary throne where Miechów parishioners adore the Most Blessed Sacrament every day stands on the altar stone. In addition to the main altar, the southern wall of this nave displays a Rococo altar of St. Joseph with a painting by Franciszek Smuglewicz presenting St. Joseph with baby Jesus. This altar is flanked by a figure of Simeon holding Jesus – an old man told by God that he would not die before seeing the Messiah – and a figure of Joachim, the husband of St. Anna and grandfather of Jesus. The function of these figures is twofold: they are a reminder of Jesus’ humanity and also foretell the coming of the Messiah. Opposite the altar of St. Joseph, the northern nave houses the altar of St. Anna; both these altars accentuating the earthly dimension of Jesus’ life. The other figures visible in the nave are Fathers of the Church, theologians and mystics. A stucco presenting the Transfiguration of Jesus can be seen above the entrance to the antechapel.
Basilica of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Miechów
Beacon