- Marija Bistrica
-
Marija Bistrica — Town — View of Marija Bistrica
Location of Marija Bistrica within Croatia
Marija BistricaCoordinates: 46°0′19″N 16°07′07″E / 46.00528°N 16.11861°ECoordinates: 46°0′19″N 16°07′07″E / 46.00528°N 16.11861°E Country Croatia County Krapina-Zagorje County Government - Mayor Stjepan Muhek Area - Town 70 km2 (27 sq mi) Elevation 192 m (630 ft) Population (2001) - Town 1,107 - Metro 6,612 Time zone CET (UTC+1) - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Postal code 49 246 Area code(s) 049 Website http://www.marija-bistrica.hr Marija Bistrica (literally Mary Bistrica) is municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County in central Croatia, located on the slopes of the Medvednica mountain in Hrvatsko Zagorje, not far away from Zagreb. The municipality has 6,612 inhabitants, with 1,107 residents in the settlement itself (2001 census).[1]
Marija Bistrica has an old Marian shrine of the Black Madonna which is a famous place of pilgrimage. It is visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year. On October 3, 1998, Pope John Paul II visited Marija Bistrica and beatified the Croatian Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac before 500,000 Croatians.[2]
Contents
History
The first written mention of the settlement Bistrica was in AD 1209 as the possession of Croatian-Hungarian king Andrew II. Documents from 1334 first mention the church of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Shrine
The Black Madonna statue.
In 1545 a local priest hid the wonder working statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus, which previously stood in a wooden chapel on the Vinski Vrh (Hill) nearby, within the church to save it from the Turks and took the secret of its hiding place to his grave. The statue was discovered in 1588, when according to the records bright light shone from the place where it was buried. In 1650 the statue had to be once again hidden to be rediscovered in 1684.
In 1710 the Croatian parliament vowed to fund a new altar in the church, which was done in 1715. In 1731 the church was expanded and reconsecrated to Our Lady of the Snows. In 1750 Pope Benedict XIV granted plenary indulgence to pilgrims who confess and accept the Eucharist in Bistrica.
In 1879 to 1882 a new church was built in its place, designed in the style of Neo-Renaissance by Hermann Bollé. Arcades were constructed around the church decorated with 22 paintings of the miracles granted by the Blessed Virgin. During the construction a fire destroyed all of the church except the statue and the main altar.
In 1923 Pope Pius XI granted the church the status of a minor basilica and in 1935 the archbishop of Zagreb Ante Bauer crowned the statue as Our Lady Queen of Croatia. As archbishop, Aloysius Stepinac paid special attention to the site and made annual pilgrimages. On July 8, 1945 he led his last pilgrimage to Marija Bistrica which drew 40,000-50,000 people.[3]
Municipality
The municipality consists of the following settlements:[1]
- Globočec, population 619
- Hum Bistrički, pop. 520
- Laz Bistrički, pop. 854
- Laz Stubički, pop. 292
- Marija Bistrica, pop. 1.107
- Podgorje Bistričko, pop. 941
- Podgrađe, pop. 343
- Poljanica Bistrička, pop. 431
- Selnica, pop. 752
- Sušobreg Bistrički, pop. 92
- Tugonica, pop. 661
Gallery
-
The basilica
-
Interior of the basilica
-
Arcades surround the basilica
-
Arcades surround the basilica
-
Outside view of the basilica
-
Open air church near the basilica
References
- ^ a b http://www.dzs.hr/Hrv/censuses/Census2001/Popis/H01_01_03/h01_01_03_zup02-2569.html
- ^ Bunson, Matthew and Margaret (1999). John Paul II's book of saints. Our Sunday Visitor Publishing. pp. 90–92. ISBN 0879739347, 9780879739348. http://books.google.hr/books?id=RH-GGO2aLoUC&pg=PA90&dq=Aloysius+Stepinac&hl=hr&ei=ilZrTYKoHs-e4Qag_pTfCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=Aloysius%20Stepinac&f=false. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
- ^ Akmadža, Miroslav. Causes of breaking of diplomatic ties between the Vatican and Yugoslavia in 1952
External links
- Website of the Shrine (English), (Croatian), (German)
- Short info
- Marija Bistrica HD photos 1920x1080
Subdivisions of Krapina-Zagorje County Towns 
Municipalities Bedekovčina · Budinščina · Desinić · Đurmanec · Gornja Stubica · Hrašćina · Hum na Sutli · Jesenje · Konjšćina · Kraljevec na Sutli · Krapinske Toplice · Kumrovec · Lobor · Marija Bistrica · Mače · Mihovljan · Novi Golubovec · Petrovsko · Radoboj · Sveti Križ Začretje · Stubičke Toplice · Tuhelj · Veliko Trgovišće · Zagorska Sela · Zlatar BistricaCategories:- Marian shrines
- Places of worship in Croatia
- Roman Catholic Church in Croatia
- Municipalities of Croatia
- Populated places in Krapina-Zagorje County
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
