The Holy Cross Wood Relic, Christian relic in a Benedictine monastery on Łysa Góra, Nowa Słupia, Poland.
The Holy Cross Wood Relic is housed within a historic Benedictine monastery complex perched on Łysa Góra mountain peak in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, featuring architectural styles from Romanesque to Baroque periods accumulated over centuries of construction and restoration.
The monastery originated in the early Middle Ages and became Poland's oldest shrine dedicated to Holy Cross relics, attracting pilgrims since the 14th century and surviving invasions by Tatars, Swedes, and Saxons throughout its turbulent history.
The site transformed from a pagan Slavic sanctuary with 9th to 11th century stone ramparts into a major Christian pilgrimage destination, with legends linking the relic's arrival to Hungarian Prince Emeric and Polish kings including Władysław I.
Visitors can reach the monastery via the Blue Trail from Nowa Słupia, a 1.9-mile path featuring Stations of the Cross along the way, and climb the church tower for views across Świętokrzyski National Park extending to the Tatra Mountains on clear days.
The relic is carved as a double-armed caravaca cross and was historically believed to protect against plague during the 17th and 18th centuries, while the monastery crypt contains mummified remains of Prince Jeremy Wiśniowiecki, a celebrated Polish military leader.
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