Obory is only a short distance from the town of Golub-Dobrzyn and is known for its ancient Carmelite monastery from the 17th century and its Marian shrine. These were funded by Luke and Anna Rudzowski who also donated a hill in Grodzisko and half their estates to the Order.

The patron of the shrine is the Mother of God. The figure of Our Lady, carved from the wood of the lime tree, is shown bent over the body of Jesus Christ who is laid on her knees after he had been taken down from the cross. It is most likely the work of an artist from Pomerania from the end of the 14th century. In 1605 this small figure was brought from a monastery in Bydgoszcz by the founders of the monastery and the church in Obory. After the first wooden temple burnt down in 1627, the statue was housed in the new, also wooden, church and finally prominently placed in a niche on the main altar in 1696. In the church in Obory there are numerous votive offerings as evidence of miracles experienced by pilgrims.

The monastery and the church, originally made of wood, were replaced in the mid 18th century for structures of brick, built in the Baroque style, with a tower over its west wing. Stations of the Cross have recently been added to the shrine.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows – Obory (woj. Kujawsko-Pomorskie)

www.obory.com.pl