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 …More