Poland - Swieta Lipka - Our Dear Lady of Swieta Lipka Church on the Camino Polaco / Way of St James Pilgrimage Route

On 24 August 2018, we drove along Route 594 and headed east from Reszel town towards Swieta Lipka, a small  village in Northern Poland, to visit the Our Dear Lady of Swieta Lipka church.

This church is on the Camino Polaco walking pilgrimage route which is part of the wider Way of St James (Camino de Santiago) pilgrimage route that spans a number of European countries and is linked to the pilgrimage routes in France  and Spain. The Way of St James leads to / ends at the shrine of St James. To read more about the Way of St James in Poland, click here.

The Camino Polaco in Poland starts from the Polish border with Lithuania at Sejny and goes westward for 300km to Olsztyn. The route is marked by the shell of St James.

Though the church is in a small village, it is very impressive both inside and outside.

Our Sorento at Our Dear Lady of Swieta Lipka Church

Swieta Lipka means "holy lime tree" and the church was built in the 1600s on the site where miracles was said to have taken place after a statue of the Virgin Mary was placed under a lime tree as a token of thanks. The lime tree is seen both on the facade of the church and inside the church.

The facade and gate of the church

The cloister

The altar

Impressive organ from the 18th century. There are regular organ performances and the organ comes to life with various mechanical parts moving as the organ music played.

We spent a couple of hours walking around and buying some souvenirs and candles from the shop before leaving for Ketrzyn on Route 594.