Malenisko, Pilgrimage site in Řetechov, Czech Republic.
Malenisko is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site on the slope of the Brda ridge in the Vizovice Hills, about 1 km southeast of Provodov and 7 km west of Luhačovice. Its single-nave Church of Our Lady of the Snows, with a three-sided apse, was enlarged in 1850; beside it stands a modern outdoor altar. A chapel from 1865 and a spring with "holy water" lie at the foot of the next ascent, and a steep Way of the Cross with stone reliefs climbs to a chapel on the ridge.
The pilgrimage site dates from the early 18th century, when, according to legend, the miller Anna Vlaštovicová of the Dolní provodovský mlýn was cured of an eye disease at a forest spring. Pilgrims came from the surrounding area from 1712. Count Wolfgang Serényi had a wooden chapel built by the spring, replaced in 1734 by a masonry single-nave church consecrated on 5 August 1735 and enlarged in 1752; it received its present form in 1850.
The path with stone reliefs reflects how pilgrims have honored the Virgin Mary here for centuries, with the carvings shaping how visitors experience the site. The works installed after World War I serve as a memorial that visitors naturally encounter while walking the grounds.
The site sits on elevated terrain, so visitors should prepare for some uphill walking when exploring the Stations of the Cross path. Wearing comfortable shoes and allowing extra time for the full experience helps visitors make the most of their visit.
The church holds a Maria lactans painting of the nursing Mother of God, a subject rare in the Czech lands. Dorota Jahodíková of Pašovice donated it in thanks for a healing; it was bought in Vienna around 1710 and later given crowns for the Virgin and Child. It once hung by the spring, and reproductions now hang at springs in the surrounding woods.
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