In the western part of the city, known as "old Czestochowa" in the 14th century, a 293-metre high hill was handed over to the Pauline Monks from Hungary in 1382. A sanctuary and monastery were built on the site, surrounded by a wall and garden and it bore the name Jasna Góra (Bright Hill).
Prince Ladislaus of Opole, the plenipotentiary of King Louis of Hungary for Polish territory between 1367 and 1372 summoned the Pauline Monks to Poland. They arrived given a small church where they kept which the Miraculous Painting of Our Lady which the Prince had brought from the city of Belz in Ukraine.
There were more and more pilgrimages to the site and soon the original gothic church proved too small to cater for the vast numbers of faithful. So in the 1460s, building was begun beside the Chapel to Our Lady on new gothic church with three wide aisles.
The monastery was attacked by the Bohemian armies and groups of thieves. These raids and the need for a protective bulwark near the border with Silesia convinced King Ladislaus IV to erect a wall round the monastery. Work was begun in 1638 transforming the Jasna Góra sanctuary into a Marian Fortress - Fortalitium Marianum. On July 21 1655, the Swedish Army marched on the country. Warsaw, Poznań and Kraków soon fell. The Polish nobility, divided by internecine disputes, refused to fight and the whole country fell under Swedish dominion. On November 18, 1655, General Muller's army of 3,000 men reached Jasna Góra demanding the sanctuary's immediate surrender. Nevertheless, Jasna Góra's Prior, Augustine Kordecki decided to defend the holy site. He could count on 170 soldiers, 20 noblemen and 70 monks, too few to stand up to the 3,000 Swedish invaders.
When the monks refused to surrender, the Swedish army opened their attack which was to last 40 days but which would end in victory for Mary's army. The attack on Jasna Góra was considered a violation of religious sentiments and the victorious result was ascribed not to the military skill of the soldiers nor to the solidity of the fortress but to protection by the Mother of God herself, guardian of the site. After the Jasna Góra victory, the whole country rose up against the Swedish invaders.
Nowadays, the pilgrimages arrive in Czestochowa every year. The culminational events take place on August 15 - Assumption of the Virgin Mary Day. The number of the pilgrims can reach then even 400.000. Often, Pope John Paul II visits this holy sanctuary. When it happens, whole Czestochowa takes to the streets and then goes to the Jasna Gora for the mass, celebrated by Holy Father. These moments are unforgetable. People cry for joy and emotions and simultaneously celebrate that great time.