Mariazell Basilica - Austria

The Story:

Mariazell is small town located in the Alpine Mountains of northern Austria, with a small population of just about 2,000 people. The Mariazell Basilica, or Basilica Mariä Gebur, is a Marian Shrine that is considered the most important Pilgrimage destination in Austria attracting about a million pilgrims each year. This basilica is also extremely important for Catholics in the Danube area and in Central Europe.

A Benedictine monk named Magnus was sent to look over the people living in Mariazell. On his journey, he brought a wooden statue of Virgin Mary from the Benedictine convent of St. Lambrecht. When his path was covered by a boulder, set the statue on the boulder and the rock miraculously split. Once in Mariazell, Magnus built a chapel around the statue, which is now the basilica. The statue is now worshiped as “Magnus Mater Austriae”, translated, the great mother of Austria.

The Mariazell area was presided over by the Monastery of St. Lambrecht beginning in 1102, however it wasn’t until 1266 that the Marian Altar was dedicated here. After building, destruction and rebuilding, the church became what we know as the baroque masterpiece, built in the mid-1600s, by famous Italian architect Domenico Sciassia.

In September of 1983, Pope John Paul II made a Pilgrimage to this stunning Basilica.

Location: Located about a 2 hour drive Southwest of Vienna

Hours:
November 1 – April 30: 7:30 am – 7:30 pm
May 1 – October 31: 7:30 am – 7:30 pm
Saturdays open until 11:30 pm

Contact:
Benedictus Square 1
8630 Mariazell
AUSTRIA
Tel: + 4338822595-0
Fax: + 4338822595-20
Email: office@basilika-mariazell.at