Sikorski Memorial, Gibraltar's Catholic Cathedal
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| 1. General Sikorski's Memorial (Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned, Gibraltar) [Commemorating his lying-in-state] |
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| 2. The Black Madonna of Częstochowa (top) General Sikorski's memorial plaque (below) [Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned, Gibraltar] |
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posted by ritsonvaljos at 9:39 pm
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Additional information
Introduction
General Wladyslaw Sikorski, the Prime Minister in exile and Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Forces, was accidentally killed when his plane crashed into the sea after taking off from Gibraltar North Front airport on 4 July 1943. Following the recovery of General Sikorski's body, he lay in state at Gibraltar's Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned before his body was transferred by sea to Britain.
Initially, General Sikorski was buried in the Polish War Cemetery at Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. Later, on 17 September 1993, General Sikorski's remains were exhumed and taken to Poland. He was finally laid to rest in the royal crypt at Wawel Castle in Kraków, Poland.
During the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II, a Polish Pope, a memorial tablet commemorating General Sikorski was unveiled at the side of the Lady Chapel of Gibraltar's Cathedral [Photograph No 1]. This memorial for General Sikorski was placed immediately beneath a replica of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, a revered icon for Poles throughout the world [Photograph No 2]. These two memorials were unveiled by the Catholic Bishop of Gibraltar at the time, Bishop Bernard Devlin, in the presence of the Pope's personal representative - and fellow Pole - Bishop Szczepan Wesoly, the Bishop of Gniezno.
The original icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa can be found at Jasna Góra Monastery, Częstochowa, Poland. As long ago as 1656, Our Lady of Częstochowa was 'crowned' the Queen Protector of Poland and in times of war Polish people have asked for her intercession and protection.
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Sikorski's memorial tablet in Gibraltar's Catholic Cathedral
Below is a transcription of General Sikorski's memorial tablet in Gibraltar's Catholic Cathedral.
"GENERAL W. SIKORSKI
Prime Minister
Commander in Chief of the Polish Forces in the Second World War
Lost his life in an aircrash at North Front on 4th July 1943. Lay in state in this Cathedral and later transferred to the United Kingdom.
This plaque was unveiled by Bishop Bernard Devlin in the presence of Bishop Szcs. Wesoly in the Pontificate of Poe John Paul II, when the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, donated by Leon Slawikowski, was blessed."
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For further reading about General Sikorski, the plane crash which claimed his life and other memorials for him in Gibraltar click on the following link:
Sikorski's Memorial at Europa Point, Gibraltar
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