Europe’s Tallest Virgin Mary Statue Unveiled in Rural Polish Village

A towering 55.6-metre concrete statue of the Virgin Mary, believed to be the tallest of its kind in Europe, has been formally unveiled and consecrated in the tiny village of Konotopie in central Poland.

The monument, known as Our Lady of Mercy, stands on a 15-metre crown-shaped pedestal that includes a viewing terrace offering panoramic views over the surrounding lakes and forests. The statue itself measures about 40.6 metres. It surpasses Rio de Janeiro’s famous Christ the Redeemer and Poland’s own Christ the King statue in Świebodzin. It remains shorter than the world’s tallest Virgin Mary statue, the 98-metre Mother of All Asia–Tower of Peace in the Philippines.

The consecration took place on Saturday, 15 August 2026, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Bishop Krzysztof Wętkowski of the Diocese of Włocławek led the ceremony, which drew hundreds of people. Helicopters circled overhead scattering rose petals, priests celebrated Mass, and the Mazowsze folk ensemble performed traditional Polish music. Former Polish president and Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa was among those in attendance.

The project was commissioned and fully funded by local millionaire couple Roman and Grażyna Karkosik as a votive offering of gratitude. Construction took around 18 months and is estimated to have cost up to €23 million. The statue stands in a field near a long-existing chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, in a village of fewer than 150 residents about 45 kilometres east of Toruń and roughly 190 kilometres northwest of Warsaw.