Basilica of the Assumption (Aglona)
The Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin ( Latvian Vissvētākās Jaunavas Marijas Debesīs Uzņemšanas Bazilika ) or Basilica of Aglona ( Latvian Agluonos bazilika ) is a Roman Catholic church in Aglona , Latvia . It belongs to the diocese of Rēzekne-Aglona and received the rare title of an international sanctuary and a minor basilica as a pilgrimage church .
history
At the instigation of the nobles Eve Justīnes Šostovickas and a land gift, the Bishop of Livonia , Mikołaj Popławski, had a wooden church built near a healing spring on the banks of Lake Eglese, known from pagan times, first in 1698 and a Dominican monastery in the following year. The Dominican Brothers probably brought an icon of Mary with them from Lithuania . The painting on an oak frame dates from the early 17th century and is closely related to the 14th-century Lithuanian icon of the Virgin of Trakai . On September 10, 1751, a wooden church was consecrated during the third visit of the Livonian Bishop of Aglona, Joseph Dominic Puzinas. Church and monastery were destroyed in a fire in 1766.
Construction of today's brick church began in 1768 and was completed in 1780. It was built in the late Italian Baroque style. Bishop Jānis Benislavskis consecrated it in 1800 for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its facade is dominated by two 60 meter high towers. Inside there is a cross vault, arches and columns are decorated with rococo ornaments. The church furnishings come from the 18th and 19th centuries. The icon of Our Lady of Aglona was integrated into the one in the main altar. The picture is only shown at high festivals.
The church was the seat of the Bishop of Riga from 1920 to 1924 before the new Archbishop Antonijs Springovičs moved to St. Jacob's Cathedral in Riga. In 1980 the church celebrated its 200th birthday and Pope John Paul II granted it the title of minor basilica . In 1986 Aglona was the place of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Christianity in Latvia. A major renovation of the basilica and expansion of the church grounds began in 1992 in preparation for the Pope's visit. In September 1993 Pope John Paul II visited the sanctuary and over 300,000 pilgrims gathered for it.
From 2011 to 2013, the diocesan bishop Jānis Bulis coordinated the restoration work of the basilica and the monastery. The basilica's wall colors have been completely changed, keeping the Baroque and Rococo styles, but changing the colors and patterns on the walls.
Pope Francis visited the church on his pastoral tour of the Baltic States on September 24, 2018.
Pilgrimage
The Church is one of the eight International Shrines recognized by the Holy See . The pilgrims gather for major holidays throughout the year. The most important is the feast of the Assumption on August 15th. Since the late 19th century, this holiday has drawn tens of thousands of pilgrims, sometimes over 100,000. The sanctuary's fame extends well beyond the borders of Latvia, with large numbers of pilgrims from Russia, Belarus and Lithuania.
literature
- Astrīda Iltnere (ed.): Latvijas Pagasti, Enciklopēdija. Preses Nams, Riga 2002, ISBN 9984-00-436-8 .
- Leonhards Latkovskis: Aglona. A history of the church and monastery . Publishing House of the Latgalian Culture Center, Rēzekne 2009, ISBN 978-9984-29-169-7 .
- Markus Nowak: Catholic in the Baltic States. Estonia and Latvia. Rebirth of a church . Bonifatiuswerk, Paderborn / Renovabis, Freising 2012, pp. 48–53 (pilgrimage to Aglona).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Vissvētākās Jaunavas Marijas Debesīs Uzņemšanas Bazilika on gcatholic.org
- ↑ Leonard Latkovskis: Aglona. A history of the church and monastery . Publishing House of the Latgalian Culture Center, Rēzekne 2009, pp. 21-22.
- ↑ Rudolf Grulich : Heart of Latvian Catholicism , accessed on September 24, 2018.
- ↑ Sacred Sites of Latvia (Eng.)
- ↑ Basilica of Aglona on latvia.travel
Coordinates: 56 ° 7 ′ 37 ″ N , 27 ° 0 ′ 56 ″ E