European pilgrims had been coming to the Holy Land since the time of the Crusades. From the mid-19th century, diplomatic representations and national ecclesiastical institutions of European countries began to be established in Jerusalem. It was then that shelters for pilgrims began to be built. Poland, being under partition, did not have such facilities, so the first hospice was not built until the 20th century.

The Old Polish House
The Old Polish House was established in 1908 on the initiative of Father Marcin Pinciurek. The canon was involved in soliciting donations and publishing activities to raise funds for the construction of the Polish House. In 1908 he purchased a house in the Old City of Jerusalem, near the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. The small building required additional work, but soon began to be visited by Polish pilgrims. From the beginning, the canon's idea was to secure ownership of the Polish House so that it would be a place "for the Polish Nation", serving as a shelter for poor Polish pilgrims. When Poland regained its independence in 1918, Fr Pinciurek started making efforts to notarise the House in favour of the Cardinal-Primate of Poland, which finally took place in 1925.

Fr Pincurek continued to be the main person in charge of the hostel. However, the canon, born in 1860, was increasingly declining in health, which translated into the destruction of the Polish House. The priest died in 1930, and was soon replaced by the Elizabethan sisters: Sr Innocenta Gierszewicz, Sr Augustyna Skibińska and Sr Blanka Szwonka. The Superior, who became Sr Innocenta, ordered the renovation of the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa. The altar was funded by Consul General Kazimierz Kurnikowski. Thanks to the renovations, the Polish House was able to permanently accommodate six people: two employees of the consulate, three sisters and a chaplain. The hospice then had seven guest rooms available for pilgrims. Although the Sisters moved into the basement of the Old House, giving up their own rooms for the benefit of the pilgrims, there was still far too little accommodation. Sister Innocenta therefore began to raise funds to extend the building and erect an additional edifice. The sisters organised collections among pilgrims coming to the Holy Land, sent letters of support to the Polish community in America, ran ambulatories and produced their own medicines.

New Polish House
The sisters' efforts resulted in the purchase of a 2200 m² plot of land in 1933. However, the investment was so burdensome that for the next few years there was not enough money to start any construction work. From 1936 onwards, the Arab-Jewish conflict intensified, adversely affecting tourism and therefore the operation of the Polish House, but also the safety of the sisters and consular representatives living there. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Polish refugees began to arrive in Jerusalem, which highlighted the great need for a new Polish House. The immediate impetus for this was the deployment in 1940 of the Carpathian Rifle Brigade in Latrum, 35 kilometres away. The architectural plan for the new Polish House was consulted by General Władysław Sikorski, Bishop Józef Gawlina and the Revd. Col. Jan Brandys. Construction began in 1940. Invaluable help was provided by the Carpathians, who were instrumental in financing the hostel, but also built it with their own forces and used military vehicles to transport building materials. Construction was completed in December 1943 with the consecration of the chapel of Our Lady of the Help of the Faithful. The new hospice consisted of 36 rooms, a chapel, dining room, kitchen and pantry. Both Polish Houses provided a place for pastoral care, but also became a meeting space for the officers' staff. It was in the new Polish House that mourning ceremonies took place after the death of General Władysław Sikorski in 1943. The nuns also looked after the many Polish refugees who were staying in Jerusalem at the time.

After the war
In 1947, part of the new Polish House was given over to a hospital for lung patients, and another part of it housed the liquidation military staff preparing soldiers to leave Palestine. In 1948, the first Israeli-Arab war broke out. Unfortunately, both Polish Houses suffered greatly as a result of this conflict. After the war, an armistice was concluded that led to the partition of Jerusalem, resulting in the old Polish House being in the Kingdom of Jordan and the new one in Israel. The constant tension between Jordan and Israel made mutual contact between the Polish Houses completely impossible. The situation lasted for nearly 20 years, until the unification of Jerusalem in 1967.

Today
The Elizabethan Sisters still run both Polish Houses, which can be visited by individual pilgrims and organised groups. The functioning of these institutions testifies to the difficult fate of the Polish nation, but also bears witness to the determination of both Father Marcin Pinciurek and the Elizabethan Sisters.