Paper short abstract:

This paper analyzes the symbolical space of the Divine Mercy shrine in Poland. The newly designed shrine promotes a new pattern of popular trans-national Catholicism. The main issue discussed will be how this modern space is perceived and lived within the frames of traditionally national Polish religiosity.

Paper long abstract:

During the whole communist period Polish popular Catholicism has been very strongly connected with national symbolism, and religious spaces were shaped as national-religious sanctuaries. Shrines were perceived as oases of freedom and places of resistance. In post-communist Poland, the national dimension of Catholic shrines continues to dominate and can be traced in the way sacred spaces are shaped and lived by pilgrims. However, the appearance and development of the Divine Mercy shrine in Kraków-Łagiewniki has complicated the image. I will analyze the sacred space of this relatively new shrine comparing it with and contrasting it to other "typical" Polish Catholic shrines.

The Divine Mercy shrine, in today's form, has been created in post-communist Poland. It was designed as "a new shrine for new times". This shrine is decidedly Christ-centric, while the prevailing number of Polish shrines is Marian centered. Its mythology - built around a visionary figure of Sister Faustina - accentuates mystical and private devotion, and not only the mass and social dimension typical for Polish Catholicism. Finally, the space of the Divine Mercy shrine, instead of focusing on national-religious discourse, emphasizes trans-national dimension of Catholicism, and the shrine itself is called a "global capital" of Divine Mercy.

I will discuss how the space of the shrine is lived and experienced by its visitors. Is the new pattern of popular Polish Catholicism being shaped by the space of the "new shrine for new times", or is the new space of the shrine being rather re-shaped and adopted to "traditional" religiosity?