History of Marija Bistrica
History has attributed many miraculous healings to the statue of the Mother of God, and there are hundreds of marble plaques around the Church with engraved words of gratitude as a living proof of the greatness, significance and power of the Mother of God.
The statue of the Bistrica Mother of God dates back to the 15th century. Upon arriving in Marija Bistrica, it is impossible not to feel the divine energy that attracts more than 800,000 pilgrims every year. A tumultuous history and numerous Turkish invasions forced the church leaders of the Bistrica region at the time to preserve the statue of the Mother of God by hiding it from the "sick man of the Bosphorus", as the Turkish army was known amongst the people. The statue was finally placed in the Church of the Blessed Virgin of Mary in the late 17th century and the miracles, documented and thoroughly explored, have occurred ever since.