The ceremony, attended by senior Vatican officials, Polish bishops and diplomats, marked the start of preparations for the 150th anniversary of the 1877 apparitions in the northeastern Polish village of Gietrzwałd.
The mosaic was unveiled by Poland's ambassador to the Holy See, Adam Kwiatkowski, together with Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, head of the Polish Bishops' Conference, and Archbishop Józef Górzyński, metropolitan of the Warmia Archdiocese.
Installed on a wall in the Vatican Gardens alongside images of the Virgin Mary from major Marian shrines around the world, the mosaic bears the inscription "Polonia" and was created in a studio at Castel Gandolfo near Rome, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Among those attending the ceremony were Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, and Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the Polish president's office.
In a letter read during the event, Polish President Karol Nawrocki said the installation highlighted the importance of the Gietrzwałd apparitions in Poland's history.
He said the apparitions, which took place while Poland was partitioned between neighboring powers, became a symbol of hope and resistance during periods of foreign rule, including under Prussian Germanization policies, Nazi German occupation and communist rule.
Addressing the ceremony, Wojda described the apparitions as "a unique gift to the Polish nation," noting that the Virgin Mary was believed to have spoken in Polish to two young girls at a time when the language and Polish national identity were under pressure in the Prussian partition.
He also said the unveiling served as an invitation for Pope Leo XIV to visit Poland for next year's anniversary commemorations.
Preparations for the jubilee have been underway at the Gietrzwałd shrine for several years.
Earlier this year, Pope Leo approved a decree recognizing the heroic virtues of one of the visionaries, Stanisława Barbara Samulowska (1865-1950), advancing her cause for beatification.
(pu-mk/gs)
Source: PAP, episkopat.pl, exauldi.org