Our Lady of Hungary Basilica

Our Lady of Hungary Basilica combines a Gothic-style sanctuary with a Baroque nave and was completed between 1719 and 1722 with two distinct towers. The structure serves as both a parish church and shares the grounds with a monastery building originally constructed by the Pauline Order.

King Louis I of Hungary founded this church with a Pauline monastery in 1352 at this secluded location. His daughter Hedwig received her education there, giving the site royal significance from its earliest years.

The church received a reproduction of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa from Jasna Gora Monastery in 1711, establishing a spiritual connection between Hungary and Poland. This link drew pilgrims from both nations who came to pray before the sacred image.

The basilica is easily reached on foot from the village of Márianosztra and remains active for regular services and pilgrimages. Visitors should know that it functions as a working parish church, so access may be limited during prayer times.

The monastery building beside the church was converted into a prison after the Pauline Order departed in 1786 and still serves that purpose today. This unusual dual use makes the site a peculiar place where religious and correctional history coexist.