Europe's tallest Virgin Mary statue inaugurated in Polish village

A towering statue of the Virgin Mary, believed to be the tallest Marian monument in Europe, was inaugurated in a small Polish village on Saturday. The ceremony in Konotopie, attended by former President and anticommunist hero Lech Walesa, consecrated the 55.6-meter-tall figure as helicopters dropped miniature red roses over the crowd.

The monument, which includes a crown-shaped pedestal, dominates the landscape of central Poland's Konotopie, a village of fewer than 150 residents. Its height surpasses other major religious landmarks, such as Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer and Poland's own Christ the King statue in Swiebodzin, though it is second worldwide to the Mother of All Asia effigy in the Philippines. Local authorities hope it will become a major pilgrimage site and tourist destination, and it features a viewing platform within its pedestal.

The statue was commissioned by Polish billionaire Roman Karkosik and his wife Grażyna, with local media reports indicating a cost of approximately 100 million zlotys (about 26 million euros). The Karkosiks have stated the monument is an expression of their gratitude to God, reportedly following an illness suffered by Roman...