Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Miechów)

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Polish: Bazylika Grobu Bożego) in Miechów, Poland, is a 14th century Gothic basilica, with a nave and two aisles, incorporating some 13th century Romanesque stonework. Damaged by a fire, it was rebuilt in the late-Baroque style in the second half of the 18th century.

The origin and history of the church and monastery of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechów, the oldest foundation of the Order outside of the Holy Land, date back to the 12th century. The monks guarding the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem were brought to Miechów, a town 35 km north to Kraków, by the knight and crusader, Jaksa Gryfita in 1163.

The origins of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem date back to the First Crusade, when its leader, Godfrey de Bouillon, liberated Jerusalem. As part of his operations to organise the religious, military and public bodies of the territories newly freed from Muslim control, he founded the Order of Canons of the Holy Sepulchre. By 1113, Pope Paschal II officially recognized its existence and purpose.

The Order’s members included the Regular Canons and the Sergentes. The latter were armed knights chosen from the crusader troops for their qualities of valour and dedication; they vowed to obey Augustinian Rule of poverty and obedience and undertook specifically, under the command of the King of Jerusalem, to defend the Holy Sepulchre and the Holy Places.

After the ultimate fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem to the Muslims in 1291, the Superior of the convent at Miechów took the title of General of the Order, later claiming the style of Grand Prior and Miechów became the headquarters of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre for centuries.

The Order initiated the custom of setting up, decorating, and visiting Christ’s graves on the last days of the Passion Week. It was in Miechow that the oldest replica of the Holy Sepulchre in Europe, the goal of numerous pilgrims, has been preserved.

External links

• Miechów: bazylika Grobu Bożego