Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary / Bazilika Navštívenia Panny Márie - Marianská Hora (Levoca, NE Slovakia)
N 49° 02.606 E 020° 35.858
34U E 470595 N 5432362
Neo-Gothic Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary (Bazilika Navštívenia Panny Márie) on Marianská Hora in Levoca is the key part of one of the oldest and best known pilgrimage sites in Slovakia.
Waymark Code: WMWYTR
Location: Prešovský kraj, Slovakia
Date Posted: 11/01/2017
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Neo-Gothic Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary (Bazilika Navštívenia Panny Márie) on Marianská Hora in Levoca is the key part of one of the oldest and best known pilgrimage sites in Slovakia.
Mariánska hora (Marian Hill) in Levoca is one of the oldest and best known pilgrimage sites in Slovakia. The Mariánska hora’s history and tradition reaches back to 1247. Originally, a chapel had been built at a fortified settlement on the hill where processions from neighbouring villages used to come to express their thanks. The pilgrimages continued annually and they grew larger year by year.
Given the increasing number of pilgrims, the chapel was rebuilt into a Gothic (1470) and later into a Baroque church (1688). The present structure is a result of a grandiose neo-Gothic rebuilding which was held in 1906-1914. A monumental neo-Gothic church with Latin-corss ground planreceived the status of Basilica Minor in 1984. The gracious Gothic sculpture of Virgin Mary welcoming pilgrim crowds with open arms is the most valuable item of the church's interior.
The precious pilgrim, Holy Father John Paul II, visited Mariánska hora in Levoca on 3 July 1995. Some six hundred fifty thousand pilgrims not only from Slovakia, but also from Poland, the Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania attended this exceptional celebration. Generally, the pilgrimages are attended by cardinals, bishops and priests from all over the world.