Poland: sources of love

Sorry in advance, text translated in the translator.

Near Sosnówka, on the slope of Grabowiec, there is the Chapel of St. Anne. A small, white building from 1212 was a pre-Slavic worship center. The basic building material is stone and the wall thickness in some places reaches 1.7 m. A spring flows through the chapel, which is considered a source of love. The chapel for tourists is closed on a daily basis, the interior can only be seen through the grille behind the door. Due to the enclosed object, the mouth of the spring was led out, building a well below which a water can be drawn.

Inhabitants of nearby buildings come to the mouth every day and collect water to their homes. The legend says that if you get water from the spring and run around the chapel 7 times without swallowing the water, then the love wish you thought about will definitely come true. Hence, being under the object, you can come across tourists running around the chapel, which sometimes looks funny, especially when there are several people willing to love.

History says that this is the oldest building in Poland. The oval form of the building refers to the tomb of Christ. In 1316, Prince Bolko established the first annual subsidy for this building. Shrine of generous founders who did not skimp on a penny and looked after the temple. An example of this can be the owners of Sosnówka and Podgorzyn brothers Melka and Konrad Liebthaler who in 1481 thoroughly renovated the building. After the Hussite wars, the chapel was severely devastated, in 1668 the then owner of this area Leopold Schaffgotsch rebuilt the temples again. The building's current appearance and design is due to Count Hans Anton von Schaffgotsch, it was in 1718. In this year the foundation stone was also laid, which was consecrated a year later.

After 200 years, the chapel carried out another thorough renovation, they did it in 1942-43 in memory of their fallen sons, Count Friedrich von Schaffgotsch and the owner of pharmacies in Sosnówka and Opole Carl Wieczorek.
At the beginning, the spring flowed from under the altar, because of the moisture, the outlet, as I mentioned earlier, was taken outside.
In 1998, owners of boarding houses and hotels in Sosnówka founded the Social Committee for Reconstruction of the Chapel of St. Anne. The facility was completely refurbished in 2000 from private and social funds. A new roof, drainage, insulation, plaster, electricity, windows were made and a summer altar was built next to the building. On the occasion of the indulgence of St. Anna, festivals are organized in July, all of which is intended for renovation of the temple.
Music concerts have been held on the altar of the summer since 2003, there are never a few fans, among them are tourists from abroad who are very eager to visit Sosnówka and this place.

When visiting the place of the temple, it is worth seeing stylish furnishings from the early eighteenth century, especially the image of St. St. Lawrence moved in 1812 from the chapel on Śnieżka, the altar with the image of St. Anna with Jesus, Maria and Józef.

After visiting the shrine, drinking from the water spring, you can relax and eat at a nearby inn, later you can also enjoy the views. It is also worth going up the trail to see the granite rocks "Ostra", "Mała" and the most famous "Pan". This rock stands out the most. Its shape and height differ from the others, esoteric experts say that rock has energy accumulating properties. Local residents urge tourists to visit the rock to obtain energy. Legends say there could be a sacrificial table or a witch landing site. Both versions have never been proven. In any case, it is worth climbing on it with the carved stairs and at least admiring the views of the area below.

The text was prepared on the basis of stories from residents and an information board next to the Chapel of St. Anne. Sosnówka is a small town but it has many interesting stories. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer elderly people who could tell about the legends and history of this town. I'm afraid that in a few years all these legends and stories will disappear. It would be worth to write them somewhere.

Photos are from my private archive. Thank you for your attention.