The underground cathedral - carved from salt

I know that Poland is the territory of my good friend Chris at the excellent
Left-Footer blog so I beg his forgiveness for my trespasses.

And a H/T to Clare, my niece, for sending me the information.

There is nothing particularly spectacular, you might think, about a salt mine.

Parts of Cheshire, I believe have been mined extensively for centuries.

But Wieliczka Salt Mine, near Krakow, in Poland hides a secret, an underground treasure, hidden from human eyes, but not from the sight of God.

Some 327 metres below the surface, miners, over the centuries, have worked to laboriously carve out of the rock salt a Cathedral.

Not only a Cathedral but also three chapels and literally dozens of holy statues.

Now, you may conjure up an image of a rough hewn cavern and fairly fundamental altars, communion rails and so on, but that is not the case.

Feast your eyes on this extraordinary work of man, dedicated out of love of Almighty God.

Of course, somehow a Welsh dragon managed to put in
an appearance

The mine has been in existence since the 12th century but ceased operating in 1996.

Now the Wielicza has been placed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites

St Kinga - patron saint of miners

Please note: The mine is open to visitors and access to the depths is via a lift (or elevator if you come from N. America).

Source: Wikimedia