Nestling in the foothills of the renowned Lesotho peaks, is the Mariazell Mission which was established by the Trappists on 2023 hectares in 1894.
The name derives from the Marian pilgrimage shrine in Austria which is famous for a miraculous image of Our Lady.
A Benedictine monk named Magnus was in a forest looking for a place to build a monastery in 1157. At one point, his path became blocked by a huge boulder that was too big to go over or around, so Magnus took a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary he had in his knapsack, knelt in prayer, and asked Our Lady for guidance. Soon there was a great rumble and the rock split in two, allowing him to pass through. Magnus placed the statue reverently on a white branch and soon after, he and some of the local people built a small chapel to house the statue.
Due to many miracles, Our Lady of Mariazell came to be known by the titles “Great Mother of Austria, Great Lady of Hungary, and Great Mother of the Slavic People.”
It is also the starting point from which Fr Pavlikec initiated the Austrian Rosary Crusade which would eventually see the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Austrian territory.
Our “own” Mariazell is thus able to claim magnificent spiritual ancestry! It is a very picturesque Mission station which has always boasted fine educational institutions, counting many public figures amongst its alumni. It also boasts extensive farming operations and even generates its own electricity from a self-sufficient hydro-electrical system built more than 120 years ago. The Church is a magnificent imposing structure and one which manifests Br Nivard’s building expertise and his architectural genius.
