Basilika Mariazell

The Basilica of Mariazell is Austria's foremost pilgrimage destination and the only national sanctuary in the German-speaking world, drawing around one million visitors annually from across Central Europe. The site traces its origins to the 12th century, when a Benedictine monk placed a small wooden Madonna on a rock — the figure, venerated as the Magna Mater Austriae, still stands at the heart of the Grace Chapel inside. The original 14th-century Gothic church, still visible in the pointed-arch portal and central tower, was expanded and Baroquified from 1683 onward under Emperor Leopold I, with court architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach adding two flanking Baroque towers. The resulting three-tower facade is one of the most recognizable in Austrian religious architecture. The basilica is wheelchair accessible and open daily, until 20:00 from May through October.