World
Poland unveils Europe’s tallest Virgin Mary statue, standing 55.6 metres high
A 55.6-metre (182-foot) statue of the Virgin Mary was unveiled on August 16, 2026, in Konotopie, a central Polish village with fewer than 150 residents. According to The Guardian, it is Europe’s tallest statue of Mary. Its total height includes a 15-metre crown-shaped pedestal containing a public observation platform. Polish businessman Roman Karkosik and his wife, Grażyna, commissioned and financed the monument. Former Polish president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa, 82, attended the consecration. The monument is taller than Poland’s 52.5-metre Christ the King and Rio de Janeiro’s 38-metre Christ the Redeemer.