Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Scapular and St Rafał Kalinowski Czerna

Monuments

Dziedziniec wyłożony kostką. Po lewej zielony skwer z krzewami i kutą lampą, otoczony murkiem i za nim schody, prowadzące do jasnego, dwukondygnacyjnego budynku z oknami, z trójkątnym wykończeniem u góry i dachem dwuspadowym. Po prawej budynek łączy się z murem, w którym jest duża brama z łukiem. Dalej w poprzek kolejny długi budynek z oknami i bliżej z ozdobnymi drzwiami z kutą lampą nad nimi. Przed budynkiem stoją w rzędzie ławeczki i idą tyłem dwie osoby. Za budynkami na wprost las i częściowo zachmurzone niebo.

Czerna 79, 32-065 Krzeszowice Tourist region: Kraków i okolice

tel. +48 122820065

Amidst the beech forests of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, in a secluded spot on a hillside above the valley, stands the Baroque church and monastery of the Discalced Carmelites of Saint Elijah the Prophet. The complex is surrounded by the forest nature reserve Eliaszówka Valley on almost all sides.

Construction of the monastery, on a quadrilateral plan with a small church and tower, began in 1629, and the first hermits settled here in 1633. The monastery wings have communal rooms, and a cloister connects the monks' cells. The early Baroque church of the Holy Prophet Elijah, dating from 1631–1640, is built on a cruciform plan and decorated with black marble. Adjoining it are the chapels of Saint John of the Cross and Saint Rafał Kalinowski with his relics. The main altar contains an image of Saint Elijah, the work of Tommaso Dolabella from 1640, and the side altar contains a miraculous image of Our Lady of the Scapular from the 17th century. In the square in front of the church is a grotto with a statue of the prophet Elijah and a spring. The monastery well was carved into solid rock between 1644 and 1651, enclosed, and covered by a shingled dome supported by columns. Next to it is the monastery cemetery from 1843–1845. Of the 12 hermitages, traces of four remain; one, called The Hermitage of St Agnes, was rebuilt between 1966 and 1969. There are also two of the three rock caves and the ruins of the bridge over the Eliaszówka Creek, known as the Devil's Bridge. Between 1986 and 1990, the hillside was adorned with stations of the Cross, sculptures, several chapels, and a field altar. Higher up, there is a viewing point.

The whole area was surrounded by a cloistered wall, of which only ruins remain. The painting of Our Lady of the Scapular, painted on canvas in the 17th century by an unknown painter according to the model of the Byzantine Madonna from the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, was a gift of the Carmelite monastery of Kraków and has been in the church since the 18th century. Saint Raphael Kalinowski contributed to the spread of the cult of the image. In 1974, a silver dress and crown were applied to the painting. The most important feasts are celebrated on 16 July, the feast of Our Lady of the Scapular, and on 20 November or the first Sunday after that, the feast of Saint Rafał Kalinowski. The monastery grounds are located in the Czerna Natura 2000 area, where the breeding colony of the Lesser Horseshoe Bat, located in the monastery basement, is protected. There are also the Geoffroy's bat and the greater mouse-eared bat.