Muzeum Towarzystwa Jezusowego Prowincji Polski Południowej

About the museum

The Museum of the Society of Jesus, Southern Polish Province, in Stara Wieś near Brzozów, operates at the late-Baroque Marian sanctuary. Its origin was a fire in December 1968, in which the 16th-century miraculous image burned, and the coronation of its copy in 1972. The first item in the catalogue is a charred fragment of the original image. Initially the museum was a kind of memorial room with about 300 objects related to the monastery and the mission work of Polish Jesuits, and its initiator was Fr Kazimierz Kucharski SJ.

At the beginning of the 1990s the care of the collections was entrusted to specialists, and a professional collection began to be built. Departments of art and applied arts with a treasury, of missions and exotica, and of ethnography were set up, and in 2005 the collection of “Szopki świata” (Nativity Scenes of the World) was begun. In 2004–2006 the museum was thoroughly renovated and received a new exhibition.

Today the permanent exhibition presents more than 4,000 exhibits: works of religious art from the 16th to the 20th century, liturgical vestments, memorabilia of outstanding Jesuits, a papal collection, collections from missions in Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania, and more than 100 Christmas nativity scenes from many countries.

Highlights

• The oldest dated copy of the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa
• Treasury with votive crowns from the 17th to the 19th century and a rich collection of liturgical vestments
• Papal collection with a chasuble of John Paul II from the palace chapel in the Vatican
• Exotic mission collections from Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania
• More than 100 Christmas nativity scenes from around the world
• Memorabilia of Jesuits, including Fr Piotr Skarga and Blessed Jan Beyzym

Permanent exhibitions

• Skarbiec i sztuka sakralna – Treasury with the papal collection, memorabilia of great Jesuits and patriotic souvenirs, and an exhibition of sacred art from the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Zbiory misyjne – A collection of several hundred objects from Jesuit missions in Africa, Asia, South America, Australia and Oceania.
• Szopki świata – Year-round display of more than 100 Christmas nativity scenes from different countries, including Italy, Austria, Spain and Poland.

Operated by

Towarzystwo Jezusowe Prowincja Polski Południowej

Admission & discounts

The fee for the museum is PLN 5 per adult and PLN 3 per child; it is paid at the office of the Jesuit Tourist and Pilgrimage Centre “Pod Parnasem”.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

The year-round exhibition of more than 100 Christmas nativity scenes is of special interest to children; many pupils are among the visitors.

Getting there & parking

The museum is at the Marian sanctuary in Stara Wieś near Brzozów, about an hour’s drive from Rzeszów in the direction of Sanok.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit