Pope Francis prays before the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa, during his visit to the Shrine of Jasna Gora in 2016. Photo: Vatican News Poland’s most popular shrine could receive a record number of pilgrims in 2024, according to local media.
The shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, at Jasna Góra Monastery in southern Poland, received as many as 4.5 million pilgrims a year before the COVID pandemic, when annual visitors dropped below 1 million.
But pilgrim numbers have bounced back since 2020, rising to 2.5 million in 2022 and 3.6 million in 2023.
The Polish Catholic news agency KAI reported that the shrine could be on course to set a new visitor record this year.
The shrine’s press office said that since the pilgrimage season began in May, 112 walking groups consisting of 14,000 pilgrims had arrived at the site containing the revered icon of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa.
More than 160 cycling groups with a total of 6,000 pilgrims have also visited the shrine, which has played a vital role in Polish history since the monastery was founded in 1382.
Groups of foot pilgrims from all over the country will converge on Czestochowa for the August 15 feast of the Assumption. Some pilgrims cover almost 400 miles over several weeks, sleeping in tents.