Sanctuary of Our Lady of Częstochowa — Skomielna Czarna
Skomielna Czarna 240, 32-437 Skomielna Czarna
The painting that attracts the faithful to the Sanctuary is a copy of the image of the Madonna of Jasna Góra. Until 1946 it was located in Kolomyia, the capital of Pokuttia, a region located in the former Polish Eastern Borderlands, now part of Ukraine. There, for many centuries, the faithful have come to visit the painting of the Mother of God in the Dominican church. The painting was destroyed during one of the numerous Cossack or Tatar invasions. In 1635 a copy of the painting of the Madonna of Jasna Góra was put in its place. Legend has it that both paintings were made at the same time and brought to Poland by Duke Władysław Opolczyk. After World War II, the painting was secretly brought to Poland by repatriates from Kolomyia. Until 1956, when it was transferred to Skomielna Czarna, it was kept in the Krakow monastery of the Friars Minor Capuchin. In 1993, a copy of the painting was placed in the church in Kolomyia which had been recovered by Catholics. The indulgences are held on the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 31 May, and on 26 August on the Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa.