Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (Siluva)
The Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary ( Lithuanian Švč. Mergelės Marijos Gimimo bazilika ) is a Roman Catholic parish church in Šiluva in Lithuania . The church in the Archdiocese of Kaunas with the patronage of the Birth of Mary is dedicated to Mary , the Mother of God , and has the title of a minor basilica .
history
In 1457 the first church was built on the site. This was closed by the Calvinists after the Reformation and destroyed along with the old image of the Virgin. In 1569 the last pastor deposited valuable church finds and documents in a chest and buried them near the church. In 1608 there was an apparition of Mary , which a Calvinist also saw. Thanks to the unveiling, the documents were found and the Catholics won the process of returning property to the parish. A wooden church was built on the site of the old church. In 1775 the present church was consecrated and used for pilgrimages. The image of the Virgin Mary, a copy from the 17th century, was created in 1786 at the instigation of Pope Pius VI. crowned . In 1892 there was a serious fire. The towers, roof and organ were replaced in sections over the next few years. In 1974 the church was opened by Pope Paul VI. raised to the minor basilica . Pope John Paul II visited the basilica on September 7, 1993. In 2008 the basilica was declared a cultural monument.
architecture
The three-aisled hall church was built in the late baroque style. The building with two 35 meter high towers was made of red, bare brick. The vaulted nave with three bays extends behind the two-tower facade with a high decorative gable. This is followed by the lower, two-bay choir with a three-sided apse . The interior has not been changed for 200 years. The image of Mary forms the center of the high altar.
chapel
At the place of the apparition of Mary, about 150 meters from the basilica portal, a wooden chapel was built in 1663, and in 1818 a more spacious wooden chapel with columns. In 1912 the construction of a new brick chapel began, but this was delayed by the First World War and could not be consecrated until 1924. The chapel designed by Antoni Wiwulski is 44 meters high. An altar with a statue of the Virgin Mary stands at the place of the apparition of Mary. Frescoes on the walls tell the story of Šiluva. In 1933, the stations of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Mother, popularly known as Marienwege, were set up here.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Švč. Mergelės Marijos Gimimo bazilika on gcatholic.org
- ↑ a b History of the parish (Lithuanian)
Coordinates: 55 ° 31 ′ 49 ″ N , 23 ° 13 ′ 29 ″ E