Our Lady of Fatima Shrine at Krzeptówki

The Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima at Krzeptówki is one of the best-known modern churches in Poland and the most important pilgrimage site in Zakopane. Since 2018 it has held the status of a national shrine. It is run by the Pallottine Fathers, who settled at Krzeptówki back in 1950.

The shrine's story is closely tied to John Paul II. In 1961 the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima gave the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, and he entrusted it to the Pallottines of Krzeptówki. Blessed by the then bishop Karol Wojtyła, the statue travelled around Polish parishes for more than a quarter of a century. On 13 May 1981, when the Pope was shot in St Peter's Square in Rome, the priests at Krzeptówki prayed before this statue, and the superior, Father Mirosław Drozdek, made a vow: if God saved the Pope's life, a church of thanksgiving would be built here. The church, designed by architect Stanisław Tylka, was built in 1987–1992, and on 7 June 1997, during his sixth pilgrimage to Poland, John Paul II consecrated it himself. Earlier, on 21 October 1987, the Pope had crowned the Krzeptówki statue in Rome.

What to see

The church draws on Podhale architecture: a tall steep roof and stone walls outside, and inside a warm timber vault and carved balconies. The bell in the belfry was a gift from John Paul II, and a rosary he donated and his photograph were set into the foundations.

• The chapel with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima — a smaller church dating from the 1950s, which houses the crowned statue.
• The Fatima Park — the altar at which the Pope celebrated Mass below Wielka Krokiew on 6 June 1997, and a monument to John Paul II with his secretary Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz (sculptor Czesław Dźwigaj, 2004).
• The John Paul II chapel (2005), the "Gate of Entrustment" inscribed "Totus Tuus", and a fence with dozens of rosaries woven into its panels.

Most pilgrims come between May and October: on the 13th of each month there are evening Fatima vigils with the rosary and a candlelight procession, and on the Sundays after 13 May and 13 October a solemn Marian procession through the streets of Zakopane with a brass band and mounted riders.

Practical information

The shrine is at Krzeptówki 14 in western Zakopane, about 2.5 km from Krupówki, on the way to Kościelisko and the Kościeliska Valley. You can walk (around 30–40 minutes from the centre) or come by city bus, minibus or car. Admission is free. Masses on Sundays and holidays are at 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30, 17:00 and 19:00, on weekdays at 7:00, 12:00 and 19:00; the Marian Appeal is held daily at 21:00. All services are streamed live on the shrine's website. Sightseeing is not appropriate during Mass; keep quiet and dress appropriately. The grounds are flat and suitable for a walk with children. Schedule as of October 2026.

Nearby

From here it is not far to the entrance of the Kościeliska Valley and to the Wielka Krokiew ski jump, below which the Pope celebrated Mass in 1997. On the other side of the centre are the funicular up Gubałówka and the old cemetery at Pęksowy Brzyzek.

Official website: smbf.pl

Photos: Aw58, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; WieKo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Konrad Wąsik, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Original uploader was Chrisiek at pl.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons; Cybularny, CC0, Wikimedia Commons; Jozef Kotulič, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Daro998 at Polish Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.