Maria Luggau

From a divine dream to a venerable basilica

The church and monastery rise majestically above Maria Luggau.(Bild: Dieter Arbeiter)

Popular pilgrimage church Maria Schnee in Lesachtal is one of 20 jubilee churches. Thousands of pilgrims find confidence and hope in the venerable church every year.

In a dream in 1513, the Lesachtal farmer's wife Helena was commissioned to build a church on a wheat field in Maria Luggau. And despite fierce resistance, the farmer's wife succeeded in building a small church. A short time later, the decision was made to build a large church, which was completed in 1544. Since then, the church and the adjoining convent have shaped the townscape of Maria Luggau.

The Holy Mother of God is present in spirit
Over the centuries, the exterior of the pilgrimage church has changed time and again. Among other things, the mighty church tower was given an eight-sided baroque crown in 1741. The appearance of the interior has also changed over the centuries.

A good two hundred years after Maria Schnee was built, the Gothic interior gave way to the Baroque style. One particularly striking feature is the repeated images of the Virgin Mary. Most striking, however, is the miraculous image of the Luggau Madonna from the year in which the farmer's wife Helena had her dream of the church.

Over the centuries, numerous believers have made pilgrimages to the popular pilgrimage church in the Lesachtal valley, and in 1986 the church was elevated to the status of basilica minor - a title that this venerable church is proud to hold.