In a picturesque setting among meadows and ponds, a few kilometres from Chodlo, there are the ruins of the Church of St. Mary of the Loretto. A few kilometres from Chodlo are the ruins of the Church of Our Lady of Loretto. This place, although abandoned today, once attracted pilgrims from the entire Lublin region. Chodelsk’s Loretto and its history are linked to the activities of the Society of Jesus, its rise and fall, as well as to the Marian cult, which attracted the faithful seeking miraculous healings and spiritual support.
The origins of the Chodelian Loretto date back to the end of the 16th century, when Bernard Maciejowski, then court bursar to the kings Zygmunt August and Stefan Batory, after entering the clerical state and influenced by the sermons of Piotr Skarga, decided to bring the Jesuit order to the Lublin region. Under the Vilnius arrangements, the Jesuits were given half the town of Chodel and the surrounding villages to support the fight against the influence of the Reformation in the region.
Ruins at the end of the 1980s. Photo: State Archive in Lublin
Inspired by the revelation of the “mysterious light”, Maciejowski decided to erect a chapel on an island surrounded by marshes. The place gained special significance when an image of Our Lady of Loretto, brought from Italy by Mikołaj Zebrzydowski, was placed there. As time went by, the chapel attracted more and more pilgrims, prompting the Jesuits to build a larger brick church, which was completed in 1750.
The Church of Our Lady of Loretto was one of the late Baroque gems of sacred architecture in the region. Modelled on the Lublin arch-cathedral, built of brick and opaque (a mixed rock made of silica and calcium carbonate), it had three naves, of which the main one was vaulted with lunettes. The side elevations were divided by pilasters, and the western façade was characterised by a balcony window with two niches on the sides, above which was a semicircular attic.
The interior of the church was richly decorated and the main altar contained the miraculous image of Our Lady of Loretto, which was the centre of worship. Adjacent to the church there were sacristies, a treasury and other buildings such as a Jesuit summer residence, an inn, a hospital and dwellings for craftsmen. Loret grew rapidly into a village, becoming an important centre of religious and economic life in the region.
Although Loret enjoyed a flourishing period, the suppression of the Jesuit order in 1773 was the beginning of its decline. The temple and nearby buildings, abandoned by the monks, quickly fell into disrepair. The transfer of the image of Our Lady of Loretto to the nearby church in Chodl in 1783 sealed the fate of the Chodelian Loretto. The roof and vaults of the church collapsed, and by the beginning of the 20th century only the walls remained of the building.
Today, the ruins of the church delight with their picturesqueness. They constitute a unique place that attracts not only historians, but also people seeking silence and spiritual solace. The preserved walls of the temple remind us of the splendour of Chodelsk’s Loretto, and its unusual location adds to its mystical charm. The valuable remains of the church were entered in the register of monuments in 1966.
Although the church no longer fulfils its sacred function, its history, linked to Marian devotion, still lives on in the memory of local residents and pilgrims. Currently, the Chodelian Loret needs care and restoration so that its unique history is not forgotten. The owners of the site, in cooperation with the local authorities, are trying to restore it to its former splendour.
Source: lscdn.pl, chodel.com
