Svaty Hostyn
The main Marian pilgrimage place in Moravia, on a hill with a basilica, a Jurkovic Way of the Cross and a lookout.
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Hostyn rises to 735 metres above the Wallachian foothills and has been a place of pilgrimage since at least the seventeenth century; the basilica of the Assumption on the summit was built between 1721 and 1748 on an oval plan with two towers and holds a painted image of the Virgin protecting Moravia. It is the most visited pilgrimage site in Moravia, with the main feast days drawing tens of thousands. Two things distinguish the hill beyond the church. Dusan Jurkovic designed a Way of the Cross here in 1904-1912, with chapels in a folk-influenced Secession manner and mosaics by Jano Kohler, which is a serious piece of Czech modern religious art. And on the summit stands a lookout tower of 1897 combined with a chapel and, alongside, a wind turbine. There is an Iron Age hillfort rampart on the hill.
What you actually see
- An oval basilica - built 1721-1748 with two towers on the summit.
- Jurkovic's Way of the Cross - Secession chapels with Kohler mosaics, 1904-1912.
- A lookout tower of 1897 - combined with a chapel on the top.
- A hillfort rampart - Iron Age earthworks around the summit.
When to go
May to September. Half a day.
Honest expectations
It is a devotional site first - major feast days bring enormous crowds and full car parks. The summit is exposed. Facilities are pilgrim-oriented. Winter access can be difficult.
Nearby
Bystrice pod Hostynem is below; Kromeriz and its gardens are west.
What to pack for Svaty Hostyn
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.