Maria Rast am Stein, Marian pilgrimage site in Vyšší Brod, Czech Republic.
Maria Rast am Stein is a Marian pilgrimage site on the northern slope of Martínkovský vrch (846 m) in the Mnichovice cadastre of Loučovice, southwest of Vyšší Brod Abbey. It consists of the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows, built of granite in Neo-Romanesque style, the original 1888 chapel now used as a picture gallery, and a Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre set in the rock below.
This location began in 1844 when local residents discovered an image of Our Lady of Snow at the site. The discovery led to the development of a pilgrimage destination, with religious structures added over time.
Pilgrimages are held on the first Sundays after the feasts of the Visitation (2 July), the Assumption (15 August) and the Nativity of Mary (8 September), plus a traditionalist Catholic pilgrimage to Our Lady, Mother of Grace, on some June Saturdays. The 15 August feast became the main pilgrimage day after a procession from Vyšší Brod in 1889.
The site can be reached from Vyšší Brod-klášter railway station via two clearly marked hiking trails. Both routes are well-signposted with the green trail passing through the square and the yellow trail following the Menší Vltavice stream.
The Stations of the Cross were built in 1898 along the route from the parish church of St Bartholomew in Vyšší Brod, with cast-iron images set in stone chapels. Below the chapels, the Holy Sepulchre is cut into the rock; the ruins of Alex Peckl's inn, which served monastery beer, are still visible beneath it.
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