Mariánský chrám ve Frýdku-Místku (church)

The Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary dominates the whole town and is clearly visible from Lysá hora and Radhošť. The temple is proof that Frýdek was one of the most important pilgrimage centres in Silesia.

According to the legend, the church was built on a hill called Vápenka because workers unearthed a stone statue of the Virgin Mary while digging a pit for burning lime in the seventeenth century. Although they moved it to the church, it was found back on the hill the next day. When this situation occurred again several times, the worshippers decided that the statue should remain on Vápenka and built a church on that spot.

After the temple on Svatý Kopeček had burned down, processions of pilgrims came here from as far away as Haná. In the middle of the eighteenth century a Baroque church was built, which has been here since.

The church was of great importance to the believers from Silesia and gradually its fame spread to Hungary. In the middle of the eighteenth century, King August III of Poland made a pilgrimage here. There were so many processions that Maria Theresa had to issue a ban on overnight pilgrimages. However, many believers did not cease to set off on the pilgrimages and thus violated the Empress’s order.

There are catacombs in the underground of the church where monks are buried. According to legends, the catacombs are connected to Frýdek Castle by a secret passage.

At the end of the twentieth century, Pope John Paul II elevated this church to the rank of Basilica Minor, a designation given to churches of particular importance. The church is surrounded by the Stations of the Cross; today the church and its surroundings have been redone and create a pleasant spot for a nice sit on the benches.Mariánský chrám ve Frýdku-Místku