THE HISTORIC STAVE CHURCH AT HARENDA; nc, pr2, mp2
This sketch of the church of St. John the Apostle & Evangelist was made during Pope John Paul II's first trip home to his native Poland after his election to the papacy in 1978-hence the Polish and Papal flags adorning the steeples. The Tatra mountain village of Harenda became famous as the home of poet, Jan Kasprowicz between 1892 and 1894.
TATRA WILDFLOWERS; nc, pr2, mp2
Sketches of wildflowers found in the pastures of Dolina Chocholówska, in the Tatra Mountains of southern Poland.
MNICH AT MORSKIE OKO; nc, pr2, mp2
Morskie Oko is a large alpine lake surrounded by spectacular mountain peaks of the High Tatra range of southern Poland. Morskie Oko literally means "Eye of the Sea" and legend says that it is connected via a subterranean passage with the Adriatic Sea. The most captivating peak is Mnich, which means 'the Monk'. It is called thus as its sharply pointed peak resembles a monk's hood.
ZAKOPANE STYLE COTTAGE; nc, pr2, mp2
The Zakopane style was an architectural mode inspired by the regional art of Poland's highland region known as Podhale. It was created by Stanislaw Witkiewicz (1851-1915), a man of many talents who was an art critic and theoretician, an architect, painter, novelist and journalist. He designed the Villa "Koliba"-the first building ever erected in the Zakopane style, built between 1892 and 1894.
KURPIE STYLE COTTAGE; nc, pr2, mp2
Sketch of a cottage in the village of Gostkowo in the Kurpie region of eastern Poland.
MEDITATION AT ZIELONE STAW (Green Lake) ; nc, pr2
in the Dolina Gasienicowa, the picturesque valley below the famous peak of Kasprowy Wierch, in the High Tatra mountain range of Southern Poland.
Photography by Michal Babik of Poland.
THE JASNA GORA (BRIGHT HILL) MONASTERY AT CZESTOCHOWA, POLAND
The center of Poland's spiritual and national identity, the Jasna Gora monastery is the home to the famous chapel housing the miraculous painting of the Madonna of Czestochowa. Pictured here is a mosaic of the Madonna atop the Lubomirski Gate, topped with a statue of St. Michael the Archangel. It is the first of four gated archways that pilgrims pass through to the Basilica.
In the western part of the city, known as "old Czestochowa" in the 14th century, a 293-metre high hill was handed over to the Pauline Monks from Hungary in 1382. A sanctuary and monastery were built on the site, surrounded by a wall and garden and it bore the name Jasna Góra (Bright Hill). After numerous raids over the centuries, the need for a protective bulwark near the border with Silesia convinced King Ladislaus IV to erect a wall round the monastery. Work was begun in 1638 transforming the Jasna Góra sanctuary into a Marian Fortress.
In 1655, the Swedish Army marched on Poland. An army of 3,000 men reached Jasna Góra demanding the sanctuary's immediate surrender. Nevertheless, Jasna Góra's Prior, Augustine Kordecki decided to defend the holy site with a mere 260 monks and soldiers. Refusing to surrender, the monks held off the Swedish attack for 40 days. The attack on Jasna Góra was considered a violation of religious sentiments, and the victorious result was ascribed not to the military skill of the soldiers nor to the solidity of the fortress but to protection by the Mother of God herself, guardian of the site. After the Jasna Góra victory, the whole country rose up against the Swedish invaders.