The center of worship of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, the patron saint of Slovakia, is the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Šaštín. It dates back to 1736, when the existing basilica was built according to the plans of Matej Vépi together with the adjacent monastery of St. Paul’s – Pavlin. The church was built in the Baroque style and it was solemnly consecrated in 1764 with the participation of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Franz I of Lorraine. Today the monastery and basilica are managed by the Salesian Order.
During pilgrimages, especially the Feast of the Holy Spirit (Turiec) and the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (15 September), the city and the basilica are visited by tens of thousands of pilgrims not only from Slovakia but also from abroad. The basilica is closely linked to the statue of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary from 1564, whose worship was granted by Archbishop Imrich Esterházy in 1732. The late Gothic statue of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary by an unknown author became the basis for the so-called Šaštín type of piety. It is located on the late baroque main altar of red marble. The decoration of the basilica bears the hallmarks of Jean Joseph Chamant and Lukáš Kracker. The temple has six side altars with paintings by J. L. Kracker. The arcade corridor connects the southern side of the church with the monastery. The monastery building has three wings, on the fourth side it is attached to the basilica. In 1964 Pope Paul VI. elevated the Church of the Seven Sorrows to a Basilica Minor – the first in Slovakia.