Bazilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary

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About Bazilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary

Mariánska hora is a 781-meter hill north of Levoča, in the Levoča Mountains. The tradition of pilgrimage to the site dates from the 13th century, and a Marian chapel already stood on the summit in the Middle Ages. The present church, the Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary (Bazilika Navštívenia Panny Márie), was built in a neo-Gothic style in the early 20th century to a design by Anton Müller, and was consecrated in 1922. It received the title of minor basilica in 1984.

On the high altar sits the Gothic statue of the Virgin from the 15th century, the focus of devotion. The church has a cruciform plan, slender towers and stained glass, and from the churchyard you can see all of Levoča, with St. James’s tower and the town walls, the Spiš hills and, on clear days, the High Tatras.

The large pilgrimage takes place on the first weekend of July, the feast of the Visitation, and is the biggest in the country, with tens of thousands of people climbing the hill. In 1995, the visit of Pope John Paul II gathered hundreds of thousands of faithful there. Outside that date, the place is peaceful.

The basilica is usually open every day from spring through autumn, without guided visits. A paved road climbs to near the summit, and a footpath starts in town.