In May 2022, the exhibition "Golgotha of the East" was opened at Jasna Góra and the Chapel of Our Lady of Reconciliation was consecrated. This place commemorates the millions of Polish victims of Tsarist Russia and Soviet totalitarianism. It conveys a message of the indomitable human spirit, forgiveness and faith in the intercession of the Mother of God. The consecration was performed by Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference.
The memorial site was established in the casemates of the Bastion of St. Barbara, a historic structure with a long and symbolic history. It is part of the fortifications of Jasna Góra. The concept of "Golgotha of the East" was coined by St. Pope John Paul II, who, like his compatriots, experienced two totalitarian regimes - Nazism and Communism. The most well-known episode of the "Golgotha of the East" is the Katyn massacre.
For many years, this crime was surrounded by a wall of silence, which Monsignor Zdzisław Peszkowski who was miraculously saved from prison in Kozelsk, later tried to break. He led pilgrimages of Siberian exiles to Jasna Góra, continuously advocating for a place at the Shrine to commemorate those who perished in the East. He also desired this place to be a call for unity, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Inside the Bastion, two particularly significant images of Our Lady of Jasna Góra have been placed. These are the paintings of Our Lady of the Exiles and Wanderers, which shared the fate of the Poles under Soviet terror, and the Icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa from 1991, which accompanied the VIth World Youth Day with John Paul II, as emphasized by Father Arnold Chrapkowski, General Superior of the Pauline Order.
The "Golgotha of the East" is dedicated not only to the Katyn massacre of 1940, but also to the memory of the Siberian exiles after the November and January Uprisings of 1830 and 1864, as well as Poles who suffered repression in the 20th century. The exhibition covers the period up to September 17, 1993, when the last Soviet soldiers left Poland.
The history of the martyrdom of Poles in the East is told through glass information boards. A documentary film shown on a special screen complements the exhibition. Father Jarosław Łuniewski oversaw the creation of the memorial on behalf of the Pauline Order and the Jasna Góra Monastery.
The opening ceremonies of the exhibition were attended by representatives of the "Golgotha of the East" Foundation, led by President Helena Kurpińska, Wanderer children, historians, and Paulines with their General Superior, Definitorium of the Order and the Prior of Jasna Góra, Father Samuel Pacholski.
