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Poland Blesses Europe’s Tallest Statue of the Virgin Mary

The 55.6‑metre monument was presented as a private votive offering and is expected to draw pilgrims and tourists to a small rural sanctuary.

KONOTOPIE, Poland (AP) - An enormous statue of the Virgin Mary that is believed to be Europe's tallest was inaugurated on Saturday in a small Polish village, financed by one of Poland's richest businesspeople. The monument towers 55.6 meters (182 feet) over Konotopie in central Poland, home to fewer than 150 people. Its height includes a crown-shaped 15-meter (49-foot) pedestal. It's taller - if less dramatically located - than the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which measures some 38 meters (125 feet) including its pedestal. It also surpasses another recent large-scale religious monument in Poland, the Christ the King statue in the western town of Swiebodzin, which was unveiled in 2010 and - complete with the mound it stands on - rises some 52 meters (170 feet) above the ground. There is a taller statue of the Virgin Mary in the Philippines, which measures some 98 meters (322 feet). But the new one in Poland is believed to be the largest of its kind in Europe. Visitors look at the statue of the Virgin Mary during finishing works on the construction site in Konotopie village, next to Torun, central Poland on 22 July 2026. In a nondescript village in northern-central Poland, a statue of the Virgin Mary, towers above what residents hope is the traditionally Catholic country's newest pilgrimage destination. At 55 meters high, the concrete and steel beam figure in Konotopie is the tallest Marian statue in Europe, and second in the world. (Photo by Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The statue was formally blessed on August 15, 2026 during a ceremony led by Bishop Krzysztof Wętkowski, who framed it as a place of prayer that points worshippers toward God.
  • The full structure measures about 55.6 metres (182 feet) including a roughly 15‑metre crown‑shaped pedestal that contains a viewing terrace more than 15 metres above ground.
  • Roman and Grażyna Karkosik commissioned and financed the project as a personal votive offering, continuing their prior patronage of the nearby Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows.
  • Media reports attribute the design to sculptor Adam Jakub Matejkowski and estimate the cost at roughly €23 million, but the exact financial figures have not been confirmed by the funders.
  • The site is already receiving visitors and local officials expect increased pilgrimage and tourism that will require new parking, paths and services and could change the local economy and daily life in Konotopie.