Shrine of Maria Bistrica

Marija Bistrica, the most known Croatian shrine of St. Mary, situated on the northern slopes of Medvednica some 40 km northeast of Croatia's capital Zagreb, has been the central place of worship of the Croatian people for centuries. What is Lourdes to the French, Fatima to the Portuguese, Loretto to the Italians, Czestohowa to the Poles, Mariazell to the Austrians that is the picturesque Marija Bistrica to the Croatian people. Shrine of St. Mary of Bistrica had and still has an important role in the Marian geography of the Croatian people. For centuries, pilgrims from all over Croatia and abroad as well as individuals coming in silence of personal pilgrimage have been coming to Marija Bistrica seeking and finding inner peace. In this Croatian Marian shrine and parish fête site, the miraculous statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus is the greatest sacred object of the Croatian people. For centuries millions of pilgrims have been kneeling before it, praying, and the heavenly Mother helped them and answered their prayers.

Image dimensions: 2336 x 3504 pixels