Holy Mother Jaworzyńska Chapel on
Wiktorówki. also known as Holy Mother Queen of Tatra Chapel or Holy
Mother Jaworzyńska Queen of Tatra Sanctuary, is a place willingly
visited by tourists. Located in dense, spruce forest, it encourages
thought and contemplation.
We begin our trip on Wierch Poroniec
(also pronounced Wierchporoniec). There is a small, paid parking lot
and a TPN entry ticket booth open from 15 april to 30 september. Only
on start, our trail will go a little bit up, just to become nearly
flat after couple of minutes. Great view of Magura Spiska, Bielskie
Tatra and High Tatra accompanies us on the left side. A comfortable
path leads us mostly by forest, making hot, sunny days walks easier.
After circa one hour of calm march we get to Rusinowa Clearing, where
a wide panorama of High Tatra (mostly Slovak) and Bielskie Tatra
unfolds. This is a very popular place for tourists, gladly visited.
Apart from wooden benches and tables, where we can take a rest, there
is a hut at the edge of the glade where we can buy sheep milk
products (sery, żętyca) due to cultural sheep pasturage. There is
also another hut, currently closed, where a Matron – Aniela
Kobylarczyk resided, hosting tourists many years ago.
From Rusinowa Clearing we can get to
Gęsia Szyja (green signs), Palenica Baiłczańska (blue), Polana pod
Wołoszynem (black) and to Holy Mother Queen of Tatra on Wiktorówki
Sanctuary (again, blue signs). As for us, lets follow blue signs
towards the temple. We leave the glade and venture towards spruce
forest by a broad path. We cross the bridge above the stream coming
from Gęsia Szyja's massif, and go down by a steep route. The trail
is not so comfortable at this point. We must be careful, escpecially
when it's wet (!). After few minutes we arrive at temple's gates.
Small, wooden temple perfectly fits
its surroundings. It was built in 1930s, in a place which already had
its history. It was told, that in year 1861, exactly here in
Wiktorówki, Marysia Murzańska, a local shepherdess, had a vision of
Holy Mother. There are memorial boards dedicated to people that lost
their life in mountains around the chapel. The temple is administered
by Dominican fathers, who were entrusted in year 1957. Wiktorówki
chapel was often visited by John Paul II, still as Karol Wojtyła.
From Holy Mother Jaworzyńska Sanctuary
we can go back to Wierch Poroniec the same trail as before, or the
blue trail to Złota Valley exit (Zazadnia clearing).