The Biblical Garden is next to the Basilica of the Jesuits in Stara Wieś. It is a perfect complement to the surroundings of the Jesuit College, considered a pearl of Baroque architecture in Podkarpacie and part of a larger project that creates new tourist products in the cross-border region of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus.
The Bible Garden at the Old Town Basilica covers over a hectare. And although it is built in the 21st century, it resembles the old monastic times. It is supposed to help in tranquility and religious reflection. It is already a pride for the Jesuits and a perfect complement to the Sanctuary of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, famous for its miraculous image of the patron saint.
The garden is to present biblical stories in an accessible and original way. Here you can see sandstone sculptures decorating a total of more than 20 biblical scenes. Among them are: Adam and Eve under the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the Garden, there will also be spatial representations of cities from the time of Christ, of course the grotto in Bethlehem and the Mount of Ascension.
In addition to the Biblical Garden, there is also a Pilgrim Service Center and a parking lot. The organ and the entrance stairs to the Basilica were also renovated.
***
The biblical garden at the basilica in Stara Wieś is not a miniature, but made with panache, and therefore extraordinary.
We will enter the garden through the Gate of the Ten Commandments – monumental, stone tablets, almost 4 meters high and weighing as much as 7 tons. On an area of over one hectare, you can admire several thousand plants, there are also biblical scenes and places in the Holy Land. Everything is “framed” with water and light.
Photo gallery
***
In the next episode of “Monastic Tastes according to Remigiusz Rączka” we will go to Podkarpacie to visit the Jesuit monastery and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy in Stara Wieś, which is considered a pearl of baroque architecture ⛪
Remigiusz 👨🍳 together with Fr. Paweł will cook in the unusual Bible Garden, which encourages you to walk along the route of history from the Old and New Testaments 📖
And what will they cook? It will be exceptionally tasty – we guarantee❗
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=984342582295013
***
History of the Sanctuary of Stara Wieś
The beginnings of Stara Wieś go back to 1359, when King Casimir the Great issued a foundation act for the settlement on the Stobnica River. Historiographers indicate the original name of the village as Brzozów. In 1384, the village and the nearby Domaradz were handed over to the Przemyśl bishops as a sacrifice. At the same time, a town with the same name was founded south of the village. The frequent flooding of the river contributed to the city’s location, so a hill was selected which also had better defensive conditions. Soon the city became the seat of the so-called bishop’s key, and the name Stara Wieś began to be used to describe the village. The first document confirming the name change is dated 1460.
In 1896, the poet Mirandola Pik, together with his mother, contracted an area for oil production in the area, but the extraction was not carried out. On the Parnassus hill to the east of the village there are blocked boreholes, two of them produce gas, which burns immediately after leaving the plug. In the southern part of Stara Wieś there is the General House of the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the northern part of Stara Wieś there is the College of the Jesuit Fathers and the Novitiate of the Society of Jesus of the Southern Poland Province.
Notes from the mid-15th century mention the parish in Stara Wieś. In the following years, the church in Stara Wieś became a branch church for the parish in Brzozów and remained so until the 19th century. It is known from the chronicles that in the second half of the 17th century, the local church was made of wood and had three altars. In 1698, the present church was built and the equipment of the older temple was probably moved to it.
It is known from the preserved records that at the end of 1726, Fr. Franciszek Goźliński, the parish priest of Brzozów and the canon of Przemyśl undertook to donate 80,000 Polish zlotys to Bishop Aleksander Fredro for the purpose of expanding the church in Stara Wieś. The bishop turned to Father Konstanty Moszyński, the provincial of the Pauline Fathers in Jasna Góra, with a proposal to bring the Paulines to Stara Wieś, where he would start the construction of a new temple and monastery for the donated funds. Therefore, two agreements were signed, dated January 29, 1728 and August 22, 1728, as the founders of the investment are both Bishop Fredro and Father Goźliński (from wikipedia.org).
***
***
College of the Jesuit Fathers
At the basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Stara Wieś stands the impressive late Baroque monastery building – the college of Jesuits. Currently, it houses the house and the novitiate of the local monks. The college is considered the cradle of Jesuits from the entire Province of Southern Poland of the Society of Jesus, and the local novitiate is the longest-running novitiate in the world. The two-story three-winged building has a patio surrounded by a cloister.
The monastery building, originally one-story, was erected from the foundation of Bishop Aleksander Fredro simultaneously with the church in 1730-1760. In 1872, the Jesuits took over belonging to the oo Pauline object. They carried out a major renovation and significant extension. There was a novitiate and school in the monastery transformed into a college from 1822. During World War II, the college was a thriving secret teaching center.
Additional information:
Basilica minor in Stara Wieś
Stara Wieś 778
36-200 Brzozów
tel.: +48 502 460 716
Visit the late-baroque Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Entering Brzozów from the north, from afar, you notice a majestic church with two towers topped with copper helmets. It is the late-baroque Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Stara Wieś, which has been basilica minor since 1927. A large monastery building adjoins the temple. It is known from the chronicles that in the second half of the 17th century the local church was made of wood. In 1698, the current one was built and the equipment of the older temple was probably moved to it.
Read more
***
3 kilometers west of the college, the so-called Villa from 1889 is situated. The building has elements of the Swiss style, and some say it is a unique object from the period preceding the so-called Zakopane style. In the years 1903-1905, a chapel was added.
The villa is open to people looking for relaxation. There is a well-equipped kitchen, 1-, 4- and 8-person rooms for about 60 people, a fireplace room, a football and volleyball court.
