Pilgrimages
The most famous Croatian Marian shrine of Bistrica is located 40 km northeast of the capital city of Zagreb, on the northern slopes of Zagrebačka gora. What Lourdes is to the French, Fatima to the Portuguese, picturesque Marija Bistrica is to the Croatians. The Bistrica Shrine of the Bistrica Mother of God, visited by hundreds of thousands pilgrims from Croatia and abroad every year, has been the centre of religious life of the Croatian people for centuries. The Croats have honored the Mother of God with special passion and have always lovingly called her the Queen of Croats. In 1971, the Bishops’ Conference declared the Bistrica Shrine the national fête site of the entire Croatian people.
On 3 October 1998, when Pope John Paul II declared Aloysius Stepinac, the Archbishop of Zagreb, a blessed martyr, he also visited Marija Bistrica.