This is an interesting place in eastern Poland called Radecznicy. It's a small place that has a shrine dedicated to St. Anthony; and a huge Franciscan church that is in some way connected to a psychiatric institution, both being perched at the top of a hill overlooking the shrine at the bottom.
First off, there is the shrine on the pond dedicated to St. Anthony:
Was really happy that I managed to get a reasonable shot of the altar inside the wooden shrine building. There's a certain peacefulness both inside and all around the wooden shrine, especially in the winter snow around Christmas time.
In the picture below, I'm looking back down at the steps that I've just climbed up to get to the Franciscan church on top of the hill.
As for the Franciscan church itself, it sits in grandeur at the top of the hill:
Inside, the church is rather big and contains some impressive religious artwork:
At Christmas time, a small model of the church and steps leading up to it is positioned near the Nativity Scene:
Yes, this can be a place of quietness and stillness where you can get away from it all and encounter your self. Tied in with this, the area around the altar is incredibly beautiful:
Sometimes, for various reasons, I'm not sure if I believe in God anymore, but, still, this church is a magical place, an enchanted place: it offers something away from the increasingly God-less secular world where I must exist.
Perched just behind the Franciscan church and in a slightly higher position, there is the psychiatric institution:
At the moment, the patients are looked after by trained medical staff, but I guess that in the past, they may've been taken care of by the Franciscans. One story I've heard is that shortly after the end of the 2nd World War, the patients were brought here covered with blankets on the top of horse and carts. Thus, this place has a lot of interesting history.
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