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Hostýn, the Guardian Virgin Mary. Hostýn is the most visited Marian shrine in Moravia, located in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. According to tradition, its history dates back to 1241, to the …More
Hostýn, the Guardian Virgin Mary.

Hostýn is the most visited Marian shrine in Moravia, located in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. According to tradition, its history dates back to 1241, to the time of the Tatar invasions, a barbarian people who sowed death and destruction wherever they went. Some Moravians found refuge in the Hostýn Mountain and miraculously escaped the Tatar’s assaults. This episode, taken as a sign of divine intervention, was attributed to the intercession of the Guardian Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption - known as Our Lady of Svaty Hostýn - who came to their rescue.

The mountain, where pagan rituals formerly took place, became a site of Christian worship after Moravia, thanks to Saints Cyril and Methodius, was evangelized.

The statue of the Guardian Virgin Mary, also known as the Victorious Virgin Mary, occupies the central altar of the Basilica. She is holding the Child Jesus in her arms, who has bolts of lighting in His hand. The statue was placed there by those who had taken refugee in the mountain as a sign of their gratitude.

On the mountain, there used to be a chapel that had been built in the 16th century, which was used especially by the workers from nearby mines. It was destroyed a century later because of constants attacks. After the Thirty Year’s War, the chapel was rebuilt. For the first time, the statue of the Our Lady with the Child Jesus was placed in the chapel.

The crowning of Mary on August 15th, 1912, was a moment of great rejoicing. Her crown, set with precious stones, was blessed by Pope Pius X in Rome.

There are other shrines dedicated to Mary in the vicinity, such as the Shrine of Velehrad, the old home of St. Methodius, where the “Mater Unionis” is revered, that is, the Mother of the unity of all Christians.

Passage of Pius XII’s Prayer to Our Lady:

O Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of men, we believe, with all the fervor of our faith, in your triumphal Assumption into Heaven, body and soul, where you are acclaimed as Queen of all the choirs of angels and the countless multitude of saints.
We join them in thanking and praising God who has exalted you above all creatures and in offering you the tribute of our devotion and our love…
We trust that your merciful eyes will gaze down upon our miseries and anguish, upon our struggles and our weaknesses; that your lips will smile upon our joys and our victories; and that you will hear the voice of Jesus saying to you of each one of us, as He once said of His Beloved Disciple: “Behold your son.”

Mary of Nazareth
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