Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Somehow I made it to the city of Wadowice. This happens to be the birthplace of Pope John Paul II. As one might expect, Pope John Paul II is a figure who is larger than life. There are statues of him everywhere you go. It is not surprising since the Polish people are very proud of him. Even outside the country, not just Catholics, even non-Christians respected him. It was sad when he passed away but he has been visibly getting weaker over the years and almost feel bad for him in his final years that he still pushes on with his work. It is with this mindset that I have come to Wadowice, not so must as to pay respect to him but to find out more about this person.

Unfortunately, the tour of his ancestral home would have to wait until after lunch. For now, I will have to content myself to exploring the nearby church. Apparently, it is a basilica named the Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was actually larger than I thought it would be. There is a large onion dome which is common in churches in this part of Europe. Since this church is near the ancestral home of the Pope, it was no surprise that the basilica had a huge impact on the life of the pope to be.

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