| s long ago as the 15th century, the Chapel of St Vitus stood at the edge of
Brezjansko polje. The adjacent Chapel of the Virgin was built in 1800, with frescoes by Leopold Layer, who also painted the miracle-working Madonna with child. Miracles and granted prayers began to occur below the painting from 1863 on, drawing ever greater numbers of pilgrims and thus the present church was built between 1889 and 1900. The local bishop subsequently passed the church to Franciscan priests, who built a monastery next to it. A picture of the Virgin Mary was solemnly crowned in the presence of 30,000 believers on 1 September 1907, and in 1988 Pope John Paul II conferred the honorary title of basilica upon the Church of Brezje.
Eight years later the Pope himself visited Brezje. More recently, one of the most prominent pilgrims was Laura Bush, the First Lady of the United States, in June 2001.
The main annual pilgrimage events are the Feast of the Virgin Mary (24 May), the Feast of the Assumption (15 August), Angels' Sunday, the anniversary of the coronation of the painting (the first Sunday in September), the day of prayer for spiritual vocations (the second Saturday in September) and the anniversary of the consecration of the Basilica (the first Sunday in October). |