The famed shrine is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and is one of the city's most recognizable historical landmarks, the most important Christian temple alongside the Poznań Cathedral and the finest example of Baroque architecture preserved within the country.

Built between 1651 and 1701, the structure was engineered by Polish and Italian masters in the Baroque style, who also incorporated Roman architectural aspects such as the monumental Corinthian columns in the interior.

[4] In 1651, the construction of a new temple began and the plans of which were probably sent from Rome (traditionally the author of the project was Bartłomiej Nataniel Wąsowski - rector of the Jesuit College in Poznań and theoretician of architecture).

During the Invasion of Poland and World War II, the Fara was spared but stripped of its rich ornaments and turned into a warehouse by the Wehrmacht.

[7] The haunted woman is purported to have donated a large monetary sum to purchase the organ in the 1870s but was betrayed by her male romantic lover and became accursed to guarding the instrument due to heartbreak, which remains locked and off—limits to tourists.