Czestochowa developed from an 11th century village to the city it is now. It is most famous for the Paulist monastery of Jasna Góra, home of the Black Madonna painting and a shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary drawing millions of pilgrims from all over the
World every year.

The monastery was founded in 1382 and two years later the Icon of the Madonna arrived with its bearer, Prince Lev. One of the oldest documents from Jasna Góra states that the picture travelled from Jerusalem, via Constantinople, to finally reach Cz?stochowa in August 1382. The Black Madonna is credited with miraculously saving the monastery of Jasna Góra (English: Bright Mount) from a Swedish 17th century invasion, The Deluge, which actually changed the course of the war. This event led King Jan Kazimierz to "crown" Our Lady of Cz?stochowa ("the Black Madonna") as Queen and Protector of Poland in the cathedral of Lwów on April 1, 1656.

According to tradition, the painting was created by St. Luke the Evangelist on a table top from the house of the Holy Family. St. Luke was said to have painted two images of Mary, one of which found its way to Italy and was kept in Bologna where it is still venerated. The other was said to have been removed from Jerusalem and brought to Constantinopole by the Emperor Constantine and placed in a church. Six centuries later, the Russian Prince Lev obtained the painting from the emperor of the time in acknowledgement of his military achievements.

A day trip to the monastery is filled with many beautiful places to visit – 
1. The Bell Tower; 
2. The Chapel containing: The Altar of the Icon,  
3. The presbytery grille, 
4. The altar of the Pieta, 
5. The altar of the Presentation to the Temple of the Virgin, 
6. The Altar of the Visitation, 
7. The Altar of the Annunciation, 
8. The Altar of the Nativity of Mary, 
9. The Ambo, 
10. The Altar of the Crucifix, 
11. Stained glass windows, 
12. The Sacristy.

The Basilica of The Holy Cross and Nativity of Mary containing: 
1. The narthex, 
2. The Chapel of St. Anthony of Padua, 
3. The main altar, 
4. The sacristy entrance, 
5. The Altar of St. Anne, 
6.  The Altar of St. Joseph, 
7. A group sculpture featuring St. Francis Saverio, 
Above: 
8. The Chapel of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
9. The Altar of the Three Magi, 
10. The Chapel of St. Paul the First Hermit, 
11. The Altar of St. Casimir, 
12. The Altar of St. Maximilian Kolbe, 
13. Portal featuring St. Anthony Abbot and St. Paul the First Hermit, 
14. The Altar of the Nativity of Jesus, 
15. The Altar of St. Augustine, 
16. The Ambo, A statue of St. Stanislaw, Bishop, 
17. The Altar of St. John Nepomuceno, 
18. The Altar of Our Lady of the Rosary
19. The Treasury; 
20. The Robe Room (containing a variety of different ‘outfits’ for the image); 
21. The Library; 
22. The Knight’s Hall; 
23. The Stations of the Cross.

In a gallery above the Chapel of the Blesses Virgin is an artistic display of a most beautiful modern-day depictions of the Stations of the Cross painted by local artist Jerzy Duda Gracz, and called ‘The Golgatha of Jasna Gora in the Beginning of the 3rd Millennium.

At 1pm every day the Icon is uncovered to an amazing trumpet fanfare.