Jasna Góra Hill

Jasna Góra Hill
View of the hill and the Jasna Góra Monastery from Najświętszej Maryi Panny Avenue
Highest point
Elevation295 m (968 ft)
Coordinates50°48′42″N 19°05′28″E / 50.81167°N 19.09111°E / 50.81167; 19.09111
Geography
Jasna Góra Hill
Country Poland

Jasna Góra Hill (formerly Stara Góra Hill) is a hill in Częstochowa, Poland, with an elevation of 295 meters above sea level, located in the Upper Warta Depression.[1] The northeastern summit of the hill is home to the Jasna Góra Monastery.

The TERYT register lists Jasna Góra as a part of the city of Częstochowa. Administratively, it belongs to the districts of Podjasnogórska and Częstochówka-Parkitka.[2]

Geography

The hill has three summits.[3][4] The highest point, at 295 meters above sea level,[3][5][6] is located approximately 325 meters west of the Jasna Góra Monastery, behind the pilgrim house parking lot.[3] The monastery complex is situated on the northeastern summit,[3][4] at an elevation of 293 meters above sea level.[3][7][8] The third summit, in the southwest, is located near St. Monika Street.[3] For comparison, Częstochowa's city center lies at an elevation of 250–255 meters above sea level.[5]

It is an inselberg composed of Upper Jurassic limestone.[1] The base is surrounded by layers of Middle Jurassic clay.[6] The hill is heavily urbanized, with limestone outcrops preserved in only two locations (near the St. James Bastion and the sixth station of the Way of the Cross).[3]

Name

The name Jasna Góra was first used in a document from 1388.[8][9] It was given by Hungarian Pauline monks in reference to their mother monastery of St. Lawrence on Jasna Góra in Buda.[10] The hypothesis that the name derives from the hill's light-colored limestone is considered unlikely. Previously, the hill was known as Stara Góra (Old Hill).[9]

An alternative perspective suggests that Stara Góra refers to the entire hill, while Jasna Góra specifically denotes the northeastern summit where the monastery is located.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Dulias, Renata (2014). "Wyżyna Śląsko-Krakowska – region fizycznogeograficzny" [Silesian-Kraków Upland – Physico-Geographical Region]. In Kaczmarek, Ryszard (ed.). Encyklopedia Województwa Śląskiego. Tom I [Encyclopedia of the Silesian Voivodeship. Volume I] (PDF) (in Polish). Katowice: Instytut Badań Regionalnych Biblioteki Śląskiej. p. 1039. ISBN 978-83-64210-14-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2021.
  2. ^ "E-usługi dla mieszkańców Częstochowy" [E-Services for Częstochowa Residents]. e.czestochowa.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 10 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Jaskurzyński, Przemysław (14 March 2017). "Spotkanie z historią" [Meeting with History]. Biuro Prasowe Jasnej Góry (in Polish). Archived from the original on 21 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Królikowski, Adam (15 December 2011). "Niwa Częstocha (5)" [Częstocha Field (5)]. Gazeta Częstochowska (in Polish). Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Aktualizacja Programu Ochrony Środowiska Dla Miasta Częstochowy z Uwzględnieniem Lat 2010 – 2014 z Perspektywą Do Roku 2017" [Update of the Environmental Protection Program for the City of Częstochowa for the Years 2010–2014 with a Perspective to 2017] (PDF). Urząd Miasta Częstochowa (in Polish). p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b Groch, Jerzy (1996). "Miastotwórcza funkcja sanktuarium jasnogórskiego" [City-Forming Function of the Jasna Góra Sanctuary]. Peregrinus Cracoviensis (in Polish). 3: 205–218. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021.
  7. ^ Kraś, Jacek (2011). "Istota i znaczenie ruchu pielgrzymkowego w Polsce" [Essence and Significance of the Pilgrimage Movement in Poland] (PDF). Saeculum Christianum (in Polish). 18: 231–243.
  8. ^ a b "Dlaczego Jasna Góra jest "Jasna"?" [Why Is Jasna Góra "Bright"?]. Stacja7.pl (in Polish). 8 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  9. ^ a b Królikowski, Adam (23 December 2010). "O Częstochu i Starej Górze" [About Częstochowa and Stara Góra]. Gazeta Częstochowska (in Polish). Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  10. ^ Jaros, Violetta (2018). "Chrematonimia Jasnej Góry i jej uwarunkowania kulturowe" [Chrematonymy of Jasna Góra and Its Cultural Conditions] (PDF). Instytut Języka Polskiego Polskiej Akademii Nauk (in Polish). doi:10.17651/ONOMAST2018.14. ISBN 978-83-64007-48-4.