Edited by RPIC Prešov | Presov Region
Tradition of the cult of the Virgin Mary in Levoca
Country: Slovakia
Region: Presov Region
Type of inspiration: Beliefs
Inspiracja
The tradition of worshipping the Virgin Mary in Levoèa dates back to the time of the Tartar invasions in the 13th century, when the inhabitants took refuge on the mountain and defended themselves against the Tartar hordes.
Out of gratitude to the Mother of God, they built a small chapel, which was the predecessor of the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Services were held there every year in the presence of the inhabitants of Levoèa and believers from the nearby surroundings. It was consecrated to the Virgin Mary and a Virgin Mary statue was placed in it. Eleven years later, it was found to be insufficient, pilgrims were coming more and more, so in 1470 parish priest Servácius asked to enlarge the church. They built a hermitage near it, where they introduced the Carthusian order. The Levoèa Mother of God was a refuge for believers in difficult times, during various uprisings and rebellions. They travelled to her by secret mountain paths. They could travel to the Mother without fear in the 17th century, after the Jesuits settled in the former Levoèa Minorite monastery. Empress Maria Theresa supported Marian devotion, and on 13 May 1766 parish priest Engelbert laid the foundation stone of the church. The church was closed in 1787 on the orders of her son Joseph. But it did not last long. Mount Marianne was fortunate to have priests who were great devotees of the Mother of God. At the beginning of the 20th century, a new church modelled on the shrine at Lourdes was built. The collection for the temple took six years, and on 2 July 1903 the foundation stone was laid. The temple was consecrated on 2 July 1922 in the presence of Bishop Ján Vojtaššák of Spiš. Difficult times came again in 1947 and 1948, when the faithful were not allowed to gather here in large numbers. The Holy Father John Paul II elevated the church to the rank of basilica minor in 1984.
Mariánská Hora is a place that is now visited by many pilgrims from all over Slovakia every July.
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