Częstochowa

Czestochowa remains one of Poland’s most revered pilgrimage sites. But even if you don’t come dressed in your devotional attire, you can still unravel layers of culture and history in the small town. The epicenter of it all is the Jasna Gora Monastery. That mystical shrine holds arguably the most sacred relic in the country: the holy icon of the Black Madonna. Legend has it that the picture was authored by St. Luke himself, crafted on a cedar table taken from the home of the Virgin Mary and Joseph.