Interesting facts

Every year about 40,000 pilgrims make their way to the Basilica of the Seven Sorrows of Mary in Šaštín. The most important pilgrimage date is the 15th of September, when Our Lady of Sorrows is remembered. According to folk piety, Our Lady of Sorrows bestows encouragement on those who are grieved or mourning. The veneration has its roots in the adoption of Christianity, which the Byzantine priests Cyril and Methodius brought to the region in the 9th century. A chapel with the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows was erected in 1564. After the Ottoman wars, the statue was returned to the chapel after having been hidden away temporarily in a castle. It was a time of deep gratitude, healing, and wondrous occurrences, which were all recorded in a rare Latin manuscript. The construction of the basilica of Šaštín began in 1764, with the support of the local population. Empress Maria Theresa became one of the patrons. The statue of Mary received its place on the high altar of the new church. She was declared by decree the patron saint of Slovakia in the year 1927. Members of the Salesian religious society were forcibly expelled by the new regime in 1950. However the droves of pilgrims could hardly be stopped. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Salesians returned to the convent. Thousands of pilgrims thronged to Our Lady of Sorrows in Šaštín in May 1990. In 1995 they were personally received by a noble pilgrim, Pope John Paul II, the Roman pope. In 2021, the Basika of Šaštín was also visited by Pope Francis.