Marija Bistrica Attractions

Marija Bistrica, in Zagorje, is the site of one of the largest pilgrimages in Croatia. The Marija Bistrica Church (Hodocasnicka Crkva Marije Bistricvke), also known as the Sanctuary of St Mary of the Snow (Sv Marija Snjezna) is home to a 16th Century, Gothic wooden statue known as the Black Madonna with Child. The story of the statue dates back to a Turkish invasion of Marija Bistrica in the 1500s, when the statue was hidden in the church, lost for decades, and "miraculously" rediscovered. The church which houses the statue is a combination of Romanesque Gothic and Baroque styles. A church has stood on this location since the 14th Century. In addition to the Black Madonna statue, the church also contains a collection of other valuable religious works of art.

Marija Bistrica is on the northern slope of Mt Medvednica, just a short drive from Zagreb.