The Catholic Pilgrim's Guide to Maria Loretto, Austria

In the rolling hills of northern Burgenland stands a Baroque sanctuary built to honor a Black Madonna. The village of Loretto takes its name from the Italian shrine of Loreto—and at its heart, a replica of the Holy House creates a direct link to that most famous of Marian pilgrimage sites. Turkish invaders burned the original monastery barely four decades after its completion, but the faithful saved the miraculous image. By 1707, a new complex had risen, and pilgrims have never stopped coming. The plague of 1713 intensified devotion as desperate faithful sought the Black Madonna's protection against the Black Death. Today between 15,000 and 20,000 pilgrims gather on the Assumption; the Burgenland Croats maintain their own pilgrimage tradition on the third Sunday of September. In 2016, restoration workers discovered a 300-year-old statue of Mary hidden beneath the altar—beheaded during the Turkish wars, preserved in sand, her original colors still intact.

📜 History & Spiritual Significance

The monastery and village of Loretto were founded in the seventeenth century specifically to honor the Black Madonna of Loreto, Italy. The Holy House of Loreto—believed by tradition to be the house where Mary received the Annunciation—had become one of Christianity's most visited shrines. Austrian devotees created their own Loreto, complete with a replica of the Holy House. Turkish forces destroyed the original monastery in their invasion, but the Black Madonna was saved and hidden. The complex was rebuilt by 1707, incorporating the chapel replica of the Holy House in the cloister courtyard. The plague that swept through in 1713 proved a turning point. As death claimed neighbors and family, the faithful turned to Mary for protection. Pilgrimages increased dramatically, establishing traditions that continue three centuries later. During renovation work in October 2016, workers discovered a remarkable relic beneath the altar of the Chapel of Grace: a 300-year-old statue of Mary, its head and the Christ Child severed during the Turkish desecration of 1683. Bedded in sand that protected it from weathering, the statue retained its original polychrome—an extraordinary survival that art historians consider invaluable.

☩ Pilgrimage Sites in Maria Loretto

Basilika Maria Loretto

Basilica of Our Lady of Loretto The Baroque basilica dominates the village center, its towers rising above the surrounding farmland. The interior houses the miraculous image of the Black Madonna and preserves the devotional atmosphere of Counter-Reformation Catholicism. Address Hauptplatz 22, 2443 Loretto GPS 47.8906, 16.5186 Map Google Maps Web burgenland.info

Loretokapelle (Holy House Chapel)

In the cloister courtyard stands the replica of the Holy House of Loreto—a small chapel reproducing the dimensions and form of the Italian original. Here pilgrims can enter a space modeled on the house where tradition says Mary received Gabriel's announcement.

The Black Madonna

The miraculous image of the Black Madonna follows the iconographic type of the Loreto original. Saved from Turkish destruction, she has received the prayers of Burgenland's faithful for over three centuries.

🕯️ Annual Feast Days & Celebrations

Great Women's Day (Assumption) — August 15

The principal feast draws between 15,000 and 20,000 pilgrims to Loretto—the largest gathering of the year. Many still arrive on foot, maintaining traditions established after the 1713 plague.

Nativity of Mary — September 8

The feast of Mary's birth brings a second major pilgrimage, honoring the beginning of her earthly life.

Croatian Sunday — Third Sunday of September

The Burgenland Croats maintain their own pilgrimage tradition, gathering to honor the Black Madonna in their distinct cultural expression of Catholic devotion.

🚗 Getting There

By Car: Loretto lies in northern Burgenland, approximately 50 kilometers southeast of Vienna. The drive takes about 45 minutes. On Foot: Traditional pilgrimage routes approach Loretto from surrounding villages. Many pilgrims continue to walk, particularly for the August 15 feast.

🔗 Useful Links

Burgenland Tourism — Visitor information for Maria Loretto and the region. (burgenland.info)

🪶 Closing Reflection

"Under Mary's mantle, we find refuge from plague and war, from fear and death. She who bore the Son of God bears us to him." — Burgenland pilgrimage tradition