The Baroque Mariatrost Basilica on top of the Purberg hill in Mariatrost, a district of Graz, is one of the most famous

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

sites of Styria in Austria. The

pilgrimage church A pilgrimage church (german: Wallfahrtskirche) is a church to which pilgrimages are regularly made, or a church along a pilgrimage route, like the Way of St. James, that is visited by pilgrims. Pilgrimage churches are often located by the grave ...

stands prominently on top of the Purberg hill (469 m) in the northeast of Graz. It can be reached using the 200 or more steps of the

Angelus The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ o ...

stair. The

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

is classified as a Baroque building. Two front towers (61 m) and a dome, visible from a great distance, are the characteristic attributes of the church, which is enclosed by two projecting wings of a former monastery once occupied by the

Pauline Fathers The Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit ( lat, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Pauli Primi Eremitæ; abbreviated OSPPE), commonly called the Pauline Fathers, is a monastic order of the Roman Catholic Church founded in Hungary during the 13th century. Thi ...

(1708–86) and later by the

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

s (1842–1996). The building was begun in 1714 by Andreas Stengg and his son Johann Georg Stengg and finished in 1724. The pulpit by Veit Königer (1730/31) is the masterpiece of the furnishings. The frescoes on the ceiling by Lukas von Schram and Johann Baptist Scheidt are of particular importance. The main

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

includes a statue of the Madonna originally created in the Gothic period around 1465, but altered to the Baroque style in 1695 by

Bernhard Echter Bernhard is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar (1604–1639), Duke of Saxe-Weimar * Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen (1901–1984), head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen 194 ...

. Father David Bauer, a Canadian ice hockey coach and Basilian priest, attracted a following while coaching in Austria and conducted mass on several occasions at the basilica. On 28 October 1999 the church was nominated as a basilica minor. The Mariatrost Basilica is the second most important

Marian shrine A shrine to the Virgin Mary (or Marian shrine) is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales are often the destinatio ...

of Styria after Mariazell Basilica.

References

External links

*
Mariatrost Basilica at Graz tourist information serverHomepage of the Mariatrost district

Graz-Mariatrost parish
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Graz Basilica churches in Austria Roman Catholic churches in Graz Shrines to the Virgin Mary Pilgrimage churches in Austria Tourist attractions in Graz Baroque church buildings in Austria Roman Catholic shrines in Austria Establishments in the Duchy of Styria