KNORYDY, GM. BIELSK PODLASKI, POV. BIELSKI

The "God's foot" stone and the "miracle spring" in Knorydy.

The chapel with the "miraculous spring" was erected in 1872 on the initiative of Pavel Tsar, one of the villagers, according to tradition at the site of an apparition of the Mother of God, who was said to have appeared on a stone lying nearby. It was consecrated on January 30, 1873.

Under the altar in the chapel is a well built on the spring. The water is believed to have miraculous healing powers.

According to another legend, the Mother of God was said to have appeared on a stone to a father who was passing that way with his blind son. When the blind man wanted to touch her luminous robes the figure disappeared. Only a footprint remained on the stone and a spring with miraculous healing water helping mainly with eye diseases gushed out next to it. For more information, see Sacred and Cursed. Stones..., pp. 93-96.

The stone is located next to the wooden chapel of the Icon of the Mother of God "All Distressed Joy" in Knorydy - now a shrine belonging to the Orthodox parish of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Boćki.
The boulder is displayed on a concrete rise next to the chapel and decorated with flowers. The faithful coming to the stone rub their hands against it and kiss the alleged footprints of the Mother of God.

According to informants from Knorydy, the miracle site saved the village from burning during World War II. While surrounding villages burned, not a single house was destroyed in Knorydy.
According to another informant, the stone with the "footprint of the Virgin Mary" was originally located elsewhere (cf. Pine 2001, 55).

The surface of the boulder shows numerous natural, longitudinal depressions. Dimensions of the stone: oval shape 110 × 70 cm; height 50 cm.

In 2016, a wooden chapel with a spring dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God "All Fearful Joy" burned down. A new chapel was built, the site was adapted for the faithful.

Sources of information: Miechowicz 2010, 55; field queries

Geographic coordinates: 52.70863, 23.06539

Location on Google maps