Lechovice, poutní kostel Navštívení Panny Marie
The pilgrimage church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary is standing on a forested hill northeast of Lechovice village. The church is a remarkable dominant of the surrounding flat landscape. The history of the pilgrimage site started in 1695. At first, a wooden chapel was built at the foot of the hill, near a spring. A statue of the Virgin Mary with Jesus from the near Louka monastery was placed in the chapel. Since the first famous pilgrimage, the number of pilgrims had been increasing, so a new church had to be built. A Baroque church with two towers and a splendidly decorated façade was built at the top of the hill. The single-nave building is from 1722. The floor plan is in the shape of the Latin cross. On the main altar, there is the worshiped statue of the Virgin Mary from the original chapel. There are side altars framed with frescoes in the church. The altars are dedicated to St John of Nepomuk, St. Roch, St. Sebastian, St. Rosalie, St. Vincent, St. Florian, and St. Donatus. The vault is richly decorated with colossal frescoes. 15,000 pilgrims from all over Moravia and Austria used to visit the church every year. The pilgrimage tradition of celebrating the feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in July has been preserved to these days.
Distance from the object
Railway station8 km (Hodonice)
Bus stop300 m (Lechovice-zámek)