Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, Minor Basilica in Svatý Kopeček, Czech Republic.
The Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary is a Baroque pilgrimage church on Svatý Kopeček above Olomouc. Its pale yellow facade with white pilasters has two towers capped by green copper onion domes with gold finials and black-and-white clocks; between them a triangular pediment and a balcony with statues in niches stand above three arched doorways reached by a wide stone staircase. Matching wings extend to either side.
A chapel built by Olomouc citizen Jan Andrýsek in 1629–1633 was destroyed by fire in 1645 and replaced by the Premonstratensians' church of 1669–1679, attributed to Giovanni Pietro Tencalla and consecrated on 1 October 1679 by Bishop Karl II of Liechtenstein-Castelcorn. Around 1700 it drew 120,000–130,000 pilgrims a year.
The stone relief of the Virgin Mary with the Child kept in the basilica is held to be the palladium of the Haná region. Pilgrims still come in procession, and the crowned image was honoured with crowns brought from Rome by Cardinal Schrattenbach in 1732.
The basilica offers visitors access to exhibition areas, including the choir section with interior views and previously closed ceremonial spaces available through guided tours. Plan adequate time to explore the different sections thoroughly.
The church was consecrated on 1 October 1679 by Olomouc bishop Karl II of Liechtenstein-Castelcorn. In 1732 two celebrations followed within days: a jubilee marking 100 years of the pilgrimage site, and the coronation of the Marian relief on 21 September, with crowns brought from Rome by Cardinal Schrattenbach. About 100,000 pilgrims attended both.
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