Shrine of Our Lady of Mariazell
View of Mariazell and its basilica, nestled in an Alpine valley.
Mariazell Basilica. Photo by Federico Lovat.
Interior of Mariazell Basilia. Photo by Andrij Bulba.
The beautiful ceiling of Mariazell Basilica. Photo by Federico Lovat.
Interactive satellite map of Mariazell. For a larger view,
see our Austria Map or Google Earth download.
Nestled high in the Alpine mountains of Austria, the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariazell is the most popular Marian shrine in Central Europe.
History
On the evening of December 21, 1157, a Benedictine monk named Magnus was walking through the forest looking for a place to build a monastery. At one point, his path was blocked by a huge boulder. It was too big to go over or around, so Magnus knelt in prayer and asked the Virgin Mary for guidance.
Soon the monk heard a great rumbling and the rock split in two, allowing him to pass through. Near the rock, Magnus took a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary he had in his knapsack and placed it on a branch. Soon after, he and some of the local people built a small chapel to house the statue along with his monastic cell.
Word of the miraculous statue of the Virgin quickly spread across the countryside, and the church had to be periodically expanded to accommodate the growing crowds. In 1200, the chapel was enlarged to a church.
In 1335, Henry I expanded the church after experiencing a miraculous cure. In 1363, Louis I of Hungary replaced the church with a larger one in thanksgiving for a victory.
In 1377, Louis I built the Chapel of Grace (Gnadenkappelle), which was expanded by Ferdinand III into the present-day basilica in 1643. By 1699, Mariazell was receiving almost 400,000 pilgrims per year, and the faithful began to invoke the Virgin under the title of Our Lady of Mariazell.
In 1907, on the 750th anniversary of the shrine's founding, Pope Pius X granted a plenary indulgence to those who visited Mariazell. The same year, the statue of Our Lady of Mariazell received an official coronation and the church was designated a Minor Basilica.
The Hungarian people were among the first to make pilgrimages to Mariazell, and pilgrims from Croatia, Slovakia, Bohemia, Germany, and other Central European countries soon followed.
Eventually, Our Lady of Mariazell was given the titles "Great Mother of Austria," "Great Lady of Hungary," and "Great Mother of the Slavic People." Mariazell is the national shrine of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia.
The Shrine of Mariazell celebrated its eighth centennial in 1957 and received Pope John Paul II as a pilgrim on September 13, 1983.
What to See
Located at the center of the city of Mariazell on Hauptplatz, the Basilica of Mariazell dominates the skyline. Inside the present basilica, the miraculous statue is housed in the Lady Chapel or Chapel of Miracles, which was built directly over the place where Magnus established his monastic cell in 1157.
The statue itself is a small wooden figure of the seated Virgin Mary holding in the infant Jesus in her lap. In Jesus' hands are an apple and a fig, objects associated with the Fall of Adam, which symbolize Christ's redemption of mankind. Both Mary and Jesus have been dressed in rich garments and are wearing golden, jewel-encrusted crowns.
The feast of Our Lady of Mariazell is celebrated on September 13 of each year. Special ceremonies are also held at Mariazell on August 15 (Feast of the Assumption of Mary) and September 8 (Nativity of the Blessed Mother).
Processions are held on the evenings prior to these special days. Mass is celebrated at the shrine daily, several times in the morning and once in the evening.
Getting There
Mariazell is located about 80 miles southwest of Vienna, on Route 20. Mariazell is accessible by train, but all trains that go there originate in St. Polten, which is about halfway between Vienna and Melk. Both Vienna and Salzburg have frequent daily trains to St. Polten.
From St. Polten, take the narrow-gauge train to Mariazell (about 2.5 hours). From the Mariazell train station, a bus takes passengers into the town center (about 5 minutes), or you can make the 15 minute walk to the basilica.
You can also take a bus from Vienna or St. Polten to Mariazell.
- Mariazeller Land – German only
- Stadt Mariazell – German only
