General Information on Mariazell
One assumes that Mariazell was practically uninhabited before the time of Christ. However, evidence can be seen from names existing to this day, for example "Erlauf" that the area was named by the Celtic people. The interesting story of Mariazell begins in 1025, when Emperor Konrad II, gave his sister-in-law some land, as a gift. With this gift, began a long fought dispute, which was brought to court and the case was even presented to the Pope. In 1151, archbishop Eberhard of Salzburg made a decision, in favor of the St. Lamprecht parish. The date 21.12.1157 emerged from a document by Pope Hadrian IV. This date has therefore been taken as the date to celebrate the foundation of the city of Mariazell.
The Legend of Mariazell
The story of the legend of Mariazell is said to have happened on the very same year. Abbot Otker, from the Benidict Monastery of St. Lamprecht, sent a monk named Magnus to the Mariazell area, to care for the spiritual and religious needs of the people there. Along his journey, the monk received a wooden statue of Mary. On 21 December 1157, at night, he found his path obstructed by a block of stone. He prayed to Mary for help, and suddenly the stone split in two and the path to Mariazell was clear. Upon arrival at Mariazell, the abbot placed his statue of Mary on top of a tree trunk, and began to build a housing, or "cell" for the figure. This also served as a chapel and gave rise to the name of the city, "Mariazell".
The first Prominent Pilgrim
In the year 1200, Earl Heinrich von Mähren and his wife came to Mariazell. They were the first prominent pilgrims to be cured of severe gout. In thanks for being cured, the earl ordered a chapel to be built at Mary's cell. The gothic building style was a result of the close ties with King Ludwig 1 of Hungary. In the name of Mary, he defeated an enemy army in 1365, and subsequently introduced the picture of the Madonna, which continues to be worshipped to this day. Mariazell experienced a great flow of pilgrims in the 17th century. The baroque reconstruction of the church began in 1644 under the supervision of the Domenico Sciassia, of the St. Lambrechter's building foundation. He died in 1679, four years before completion of the building. In 1907, the church was promoted to Basilica Minor status. In 1908, the statue of Mary received a crown from Pope Nuntius. To this day, Mariazell remains one of the biggest pilgrim destinations in central Europe.
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