The town of Częstochowa is situated in southern Poland, in the Silesian region. Jasnogórski (Pol = "Bright Hill" or "Bright Mount") is a Pauline monastery, a shrine to the Virgin Mary which Catholic pilgrims flock to (the collective noun for a gathering of pilgrims is apparently 'flock' but I like the sound of a 'drove' of pilgrims - or - also very applicable here, a 'busload' of pilgrims).
The Jasna Góra complex at Częstochowa, viewed as a whole, looks like a fortified city with its formidable walls engulfing the ecclesiastical buildings. We walked from the large carpark through the archway bearing the elaborate crest enscribed with the words of Pope John Paul II's motto ("Totus Tuus"). Many, many visitors, mainly tour groups of pilgrims were streaming through its gates.
We made our way past an ancient-looking water troth to "The Chapel of Our Lady" and its adjoining Baroque interior Bazylika (basilica). We went into the Chapel to catch a glimpse of the Black Madonna picture but there was a big crowd of transfixed onlookers milling around and so we couldn't get too close. The black-faced Madonna painting, which the faithful consider to be 'miraculous', gets wheeled out for public display at certain times of the week.
Personally I found it the spectacle a bit unappetising, far too much pious, self-serving "god-bothering" going on for my taste. Old Chinese saying: when in Rome, avoid drunk, one-eyed motorist gunning it in reverse through a zebra crossing ... so fearing that I might break out in a bad case of devotional hives I quickly retreated through the back gate to escape the monastery.
After taking in some basic but inexpensive food at one of the unpretentious eateries located in the garden park behind the monastery, I explored the nearby street. In it there was two long lines of souvenir stalls selling religious momentos of the Black Madonna and other Catholic luminaries. A few of the stalls also had children's toys loosely based on this theme ... I noticed a child's plastic Crusader sword & shield set - this is certainly the place for crusaders!
One part of the Jasna Góra complex I would say is definitely worth a look is the Arsenal with its various items of historic interest. A great many of the exhibits in the Arsenal are gifts from European monarchs and rulers of past centuries, those from the Magyars of Hungary include Turkish weapons captured in the decisive 1683 Battle of Vienna, a seminal moment in early modern European history.
Częstochowa is also remembered for other things of a more lamentable nature in history. There is a plaque not far from the monastery which commemorates the massacre of a large group of Polish Jews in the town by the German army at the very start of WWII.
