Europe’s tallest statue of Our Lady was blessed in Poland on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The statue is more than 55 metres tall, making it taller than Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.

Bishop Krzysztof Wętkowski of Włocławek said the statue of Our Lady of Mercy, located in the town of Konotopie, would direct many people who “keep their eyes fixed only on earth and are focused solely on themselves” towards God.

The statue, which stands above a 15-metre crown-shaped pedestal, is located near a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. The chapel is a longstanding destination for Catholic pilgrims.   

“The place where we stand is no ordinary place; it is a place sanctified by the prayers of pilgrims,” Bishop Krzysztof Wętkowski said. “This monumental statue of Our Lady of Mercy stands near a chapel where Our Lady of Sorrows has been venerated for decades.”

He continued: “Here in Konotopie, we lift our eyes upward; we lift our eyes towards Mary, who directs us towards God. Yes, Our Lady of Mercy is meant to remind us of God. In this image, Mary welcomes us all, bending towards us and opening her arms, inviting us to raise our eyes upward, towards God and towards heaven.”

Bishop Krzysztof Wętkowski noted during the blessing, which drew an audience of hundreds of the faithful, the link between the statue of Our Lady of Mercy and St Faustina Kowalska.

St Faustina Kowalska, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, was born in the Diocese of Włocławek in the village of Głogowiec. In 1931, Christ appeared to her wearing a white garment with rays emanating from his heart and instructed her to “paint an image according to the pattern you see”.

The statue was funded by the Polish millionaire Roman Karkosik and his wife Grażyna, who previously told the Financial Times that he did so out of “gratitude to Mary”. It is believed the statue cost around €23 million to construct. Roman Karkosik previously funded the reconstruction of the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Grażyna Karkosik echoed the remarks of Bishop Wętkowski at the blessing, stating: “Each of us coming to see it will think more deeply about their own lives, not only about God.”

Bishop Wętkowski said the monument was a “personal votive offering of gratitude from its founder. Gratitude is therefore also due to the founders, whose initiative led to the creation of the statue of Our Lady of Mercy, as well as to the designers, architects and builders”.

The blessing was attended in the front row by former Polish President Lech Wałęsa, who led anti-communist efforts as the head of the trade union Solidarity. Reflecting at the event on his involvement in Poland’s transition from communism to democracy and the role of the Church, he said: “I started with the Virgin Mary and I end with the Virgin Mary.”