🕒 Created · Updated

Lech Wałęsa attends the inauguration of Europe's tallest Virgin Mary statue in Poland

Hundreds of people gathered in the village of Konotopie to witness the consecration of a 55.6-meter statue of the Virgin Mary, believed to be the tallest of its kind in Europe. The monument, commissioned by local millionaires Roman Karkosik and Grażyna Karkosik, was unveiled on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The ceremony featured traditional Polish music, a mass celebrated by priests, and the scattering of rose petals by helicopters. Lech Wałęsa, the legendary anti-communist leader and former Polish president, attended the event as a guest of honor. Wałęsa, who famously wore a Black Madonna pin during his leadership of the Solidarity trade union, credited his faith in God with providing the strength to be fight against communism. He stated that the inauguration marked the end of his path, noting that he started and ended his journey with the Virgin Mary. While the statue serves as a spiritual landmark, local authorities hope it will also become a major tourist destination and pilgrimage site to stimulate economic growth in the region.

Sources