Windows of Vienna

Which day could be better to visit Mariazell than Holy Thursday? It is the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. The tradition of visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday is an ancient practice, probably originating in Rome, where early pilgrims visited the seven pilgrim churches as penance. The Basilika of Mariazell houses 14 Chapels,which makes it a little bit easier.

Mariazell is a small city in Austria and is picturesquely situated in the valley of the Salza, amid the north Styrian Alps.

Yes, there is some snow left in the mountains, while we are eating Ginger-Bread Ice in the sun. I chose a 70 Carré ‘Kelly en Caleche‘ for the morning around the neck and in the afternoon it suited my bag – oh so well!

Mariazell is the most important pilgrimage site in Austria and also has great meaning for Catholics in the neighboring countries to its east. Hardly any other pilgrimage site in the world can look back on such an impressive past. According to records, Mariazell was founded on December 21, 1157. An inscription above the main portal of the basilika, giving the date 1200, means that we can assume that the building of the Romanesque chapel began at this time. The first documentary evidence of ‘Cell’ is from the year 1243.

Most notable about the Mariazell Basilica are the three towers on its western front. The church houses the Magna Mater Austriae (“Great Mother of Austria”) in its so-called Gnadenkapelle. The holy image is a small wooden Marian statue from the 13th century, which is clothed in a splendid garment and plays a great role in the popular devotions of many Austrian Catholics.

With inhabitants numbering only 2000, one can nevertheless assume over one million pilgrims and visitors will come to Mariazell annually.

In the vicinity of Mariazell is the pretty Alpine lake of Erlaufsee.