Marian statue in Poland

The town of Konotopie, next to Torun in central Poland now boasts the tallest statue of the Blessed Mother in Europe. At 55 meters high, it is the second tallest statue in the world, after the Mother of all Asia effigy in the Philippines which is 98 meters high. The Konotopie Virgin Mary cost an estimated 100 million zlotys, equivalent to Euros 22.8, and is being paid by the  billionaire Roman Karkosik, a 75-year-old, who is listed as one of Poland’s richest tycoons. The was officially opened by Bishop Krzysztof Wętkowski, who consecrated the statue on Saturday August 15, feast of the Assumption, a Catholic holy day in Poland and many other Catholic countries.  Among the attendees on Saturday was Lech Wałęsa, who led the Solidarnosc movement to end communism in Poland and would go on to become the country's first democratically elected president. Polish Catholics have two other spiritual memorials. The first one is Pope John Paul II, who was the first Polish Pope and reigned for 27 years, plus 20 years as Bishop and Cardinal of Poland. The second memorial is the painting known as the Black Madonna, which attracts close to 5 million pilgrims every year. The Polish population is one of the most faithful Catholic populations, and in 2021, 71% identified themselves as active Catholics down from 88% ten years ago.