Basilica of the Mother of Graces – Maria Radna (Máriaradna)
The Franciscan pilgrimage church on a hill above the Mureș valley is the most important pilgrimage site of the Diocese of Timișoara. Some one hundred thousand pilgrims visit it every year, 15–20 per cent of them from Hungary.
The miraculous image is a simple paper print from an Italian printing house, donated to the chapel of Radna in 1668 by Georg Vričonosa. When Ottoman troops set fire to the chapel in 1695, the image, according to tradition, miraculously survived unharmed.
The first organised pilgrimage to Radna took place in 1709, and the Church recognised it as an official shrine in 1750. The foundations of today's Baroque church were laid in 1756 and it was consecrated in 1767 – the sources differ slightly on the dates. Its two towers were raised in 1911 and are now 67 metres high.
The Rococo frame of the image was made by the Viennese court goldsmith on the orders of Maria Theresa, using some 30 kilograms of silver. The crowns of Our Lady and the Infant Jesus were donated by Sándor Rudnay, Archbishop of Esztergom and former Bishop of Transylvania; in accordance with his will, his heart is also kept here. Pope John Paul II raised the church to the rank of minor basilica in 1992.
Pilgrimage feast: Traditionally the main feast day is the Nativity of Mary, 8 September. The Hungarian pilgrimage day is held on 8 October, linked to the feast of Our Lady of Hungary.
Visiting: The basilica lies about 34 km east of Arad, next to main road 7 (E68), and belongs administratively to Lipova. A flight of 65 steps leads up to it.
Sources: Wikipedia · Magyar Kurír – the restored shrine · Magyar Kurír – pilgrimage days
Photo: Stoschmidt / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Town:
Maria Radna, Lipova (Máriaradna)