Basilica of the Nativity of Mary – Marianka (Máriavölgy)
Marianka (Máriavölgy) is the oldest pilgrimage site in Slovakia and the first Marian shrine of historic Hungary. Since 1996 the Hungarians of Slovakia have held their pilgrimage every autumn in the basilica in the valley near Bratislava.
According to tradition, hermits were already living in the valley in the time of King Saint Stephen, and one of them carved the venerated statue. In 1377 King Louis the Great gave the area to the Pauline monks, who built a monastery and church here. The Paulines served in Marianka until 1786, when Joseph II dissolved the religious orders.
In 1687 Emperor Leopold I also made a pilgrimage here and entrusted Hungary to the protection of Our Lady of Hungary. Today the venerated statue stands on the high altar of 1736, in a silver star with golden rays. Pope Benedict XVI raised the church to the rank of minor basilica in 2011.
Pilgrimage feast: The titular feast of the church is the Nativity of Mary, 8 September. The pilgrimage of the Hungarians of Slovakia is held in early October, linked to the feast of Our Lady of Hungary (8 October).
Visiting: Marianka (Máriavölgy) lies about 15 km north of Bratislava, at the foot of the Little Carpathians; it can be reached from Bratislava by car or by local bus.
Sources: Magyar Kurír – pilgrimage of the Hungarians of Slovakia · Magyar Kurír – Hungarian pilgrimage · Felvidek.ma · Archdiocese of Bratislava
Photo: Ing.Mgr.Jozef Kotulič / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Town:
Marianka (Máriavölgy)