Mariánska hora - Levoca (North-East Slovakia)
N 49° 02.614 E 020° 35.853
34U E 470589 N 5432376
Mariánska hora (Marian Hill) in Levoca is one of the oldest and best known pilgrimage sites in Slovakia.
Waymark Code: WMWYTW
Location: Prešovský kraj, Slovakia
Date Posted: 11/01/2017
Views: 4
Mariánska hora (Marian Hill) in Levoca is one of the oldest and best known pilgrimage sites in Slovakia.
Mariánska hora (781 m above sea level) is a hill above town Levoca offereing a with spectacular views over the town and its countryside. Mariánska hora is the location of the Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary (Bazilika navštívenia Panny Márie), built between 1906-1914.
A chapel has existed in this location since at least the 13th century. It is thought that the location was used as a refuge by townsfolk of Levoca during the Tatar invasions of the time; it may also have been attached to a hospital for sufferers from leprosy. The chapel was enlarged and rebuilt many times, including a Baroque church in 1766. However the increasing number of pilgrims visiting the site necessitated a larger structure (a new neo-Gothic church was erected in 1906-1914). Pope John Paul II, at the request of the local bishop, upgraded the church to a Basilica Minor in 1984, and visited the site himself on July 3, 1995, when about 650,000 pilgrims gathered for the occasion. The annual pilgrimage, on or around 2 July (the Feast of the Visitation), still draws a very large number of participants. [excerpted from Wikipedia]