There is one forgotten church in Warsaw that is a unique place worth a visit. Not many people know that the church of the Mother of God from Loreto is the oldest church in Praga (Warsaw’s district).

It was built at the beginning of the 17th century as a monastery of Bernardyni (the name of one group of monks in Poland).

What makes the church of Mother of God from Loreto special is the chapel located in the middle of the church that copies the House of Virgin Mary from the sanctuary in Italian town Loreto. The chapel in Loreto is made of stone from Nazareth and it is said that those stones were used to build Virgin Mary’s house where archangel Gabriel told her she was going to be the mother of God and where later the Holy Family was living.

The church is located right next to Warsaw’s zoo. When you’re there it’s also nice to have a walk in the Praski Park and then see the bears for which the zoo has prepared an enclosure outside its grounds, right in the park (on the side of Solidarności street).