Holy Hostýn [ Pilgrimage shrine ]
Originally a Celtic oppidum, today it serves as a marian place of pilgrimage well-known by its legend of the miracle of the Virgin Mary, who protected in 1241 the local population against the Tartar foray.
Artistically valuable stations of the Cross by the architect Dušan Jurkovič can be seen here.
Holy Hostýn
The first settlers of the hill of Hostýn were the Celts about 200 B. C. The peak of Hostýn is surrounded by a 1835-m-long Celtic mound, which has a height of 9 m and width of 23 m at some spots even nowadays. The Celts built here an oppidum guarding the so-called amber path, which led through the Moravian Gate. The first chapel on Hostýn was probably built some time around the 16th century. At that time silver was extracted from the Hostýn hill and on Hostýn itself there was a mining settlement. A wooden chapel was probably built for the miners. The church on Hostýn has been rebuilt and extended many times during its history. During the reconstruction 154 years ago, 2 artistic styles mingled in the church building - the baroque and the classicism.
In 1982, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the coronation of the Virgin Mary with the Child, the pilgrimage church on Hostýn got the title of a Smaller Basilica. This special order was bestowed by the Pope John Paul II by a papal document on 9/8/1982.
