Statue of the Virgin Mary in the pilgrimage town of Fatima.
Picture: © E. Reveles/Fotolia.com  (Symbolbild)
It will also tower over a well-known figure of Christ

Multimillionaire builds Europe's largest statue of the Virgin Mary

Warsaw - A provincial town in Poland is to have the largest statue of the Virgin Mary in Europe. With a height of 55 metres, it would also tower over a well-known statue of Christ in the country, according to the plans of the wealthy owner.

Published  on 30.01.2025 at 10:55  – 

One of the richest Poles wants to erect a 55-metre-high statue of the Virgin Mary in his home town of Kikol, 170 kilometres north-west of Warsaw. According to its mayor Renata Golebiewska, the small town has already authorised the construction, as Polish media reported on Wednesday. The initiator and financial backers are multimillionaire Roman Karkosik (73) and his wife Grazyna.

The statue of the Virgin Mary is to be the largest in Europe, surpassing a sculpture of the Mother of God near the small town of Miribel in western France. The French statue was erected more than 80 years ago and is 35 metres high. The world's largest statue of the Virgin Mary has been enthroned in the Philippines for a few years now. It measures more than 90 metres.

Completion planned for 2026

The new Polish statue is due to be completed next year. The plan is for a 40 metre high sculpture on a 15 metre high pedestal in the shape of a crown. Buildings already standing on the site outside the small town will be demolished, it was reported. The site is close to the Marian shrine in the village of Konotopie.

The construction of a giant statue of Christ caused a stir in Poland 15 years ago. The statue in Swiebodzin in western Poland is 52 metres high with its base, making it smaller than the current construction project. The largest statue of Jesus in the world is a 61-metre-high structure in Indonesia, which was inaugurated in 2024. (KNA)