The Jasna Góra Basilica and the Chapel of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady
The Jasna Góra Basilica and the Chapel of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady are accessible for wheelchair users.
In the entrance of the Basilica there is a small doorstep (about 3-5 cm), but pilgrims can easily get to the main church.
Pilgrims can enter the Chapel of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady directly from the square in front of the chapel through the main entrance or the one on the right – where ramps are located.
It is also possible to enter the second part of the Chapel of the Miraculous Image on a wheelchair directly from the Basilica.
Museum facilities
The St. Barbara’s Bastion – the most recent museum at Jasna Góra, which pilgrims normally access through stairs, has a lift for the mobility impaired. The St. Barbara Bastion’s staff can help operate the lift. The St. Roch’s Bastion has a side entrance for the disabled. It is opened by the staff with prior notice.
The St. John Paul II and Bl. Cardinal Wyszyński’s Museum is partially accessible. The impediment is the stairs with a railing in the middle, making it impossible for a wheelchair user to go down/up.
3 stairs lead down to the 600 th Anniversary Museum. The staff there can help the disabled by laying out a ramp for wheelchairs.
Treasury is practically inaccessible for the mobility impaired as firstly, it requires climbing up Jasna Góra’s defence walls – there is no lift or no special ramp on the stairs. Secondly, the Treasury itself has 15 more stairs to climb.
26 wide stairs with a railing in the middle lead to the Knights Hall. Railings are also located on the sides. There is no lift or ramp.
The Golghota of Jasna Góra can be accessed from the Knights Hall, up a few stairs, or from the sacristy (in between of the Basilica and the Chapel of the Miraculous Image), up a few dozen of stairs.
Confessions: Cenacle (June to October) and the Chapel of Reconciliation (November to May)
The way to the Cenacle has ramps for the mobility impaired: to the right of the stairs in the first part, and then to the left in the second part. The first ramp ends just at the door of the Chapel of Reconciliation, which offers easy access for wheelchairs.
In the Cenacle, the first confessional on the left is adapted for wheelchair users.
Restrooms
Restrooms in the St. John Paul II Gate are adapted for the disabled. Restrooms can also be found next to the Pilgrim House or the Tea Shop.
Entering with a guide dog
The visually impaired can enter the grounds of the Sanctuary with a guide dog with a prior
notification to the Jasna Góra’s guards. Organized groups with a tour of Jasna Góra are requested to report such a person to the Information Centre before arrival to get a permission to enter the Chapel of the Miraculous Icon and other places.
Devices for hearing-impaired people
In the previously mentioned places, there are no devices for hearing-impaired people. The Chapel of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady and the Basilica serve liturgical purposes and the sound system there is for the participants of the liturgy. The St. Barbara’s Bastion has its own sound system used during pre-booked conferences, lectures, etc. Participants of guided tours are equipped with audio systems which allow individual adjustment of the volume.
Boards for the visually impaired
On the grounds of the monastery are located brass tactile boards: two at the gates (Lubomirskis’ Gate and St. John Paul II Gate) and four other ones: one by the entrance to the St. John Paul II Hall, one next to the 600 th Anniversary Museum, one next to the St. Roch’s Bastion, where the National Memory Treasury is located, and one in the passage leading to the Chapel of Our Lady (next to the Tower entrance).