mariazell basilica

The catherdral is in an excellent condition, thanks to the lot of pilgrims who visits it. For me the inner style is very mixed. The town centre around the cathedral is charming!

This is a serious cult site, and unfriendly to tourists (no photos in the church). The main feature is the silver shrine to the Virgin, the focus of the cult. The church is gothic with heavy seventeenth century stuccoes overpowering not very good frescoes. There are some very interesting votive paintings in the Kunstkammer going back to the eighteenth century, admission to which gets you into the galleries along the side, which is worth it for the view into the church.

Being impressed by the basilica of its architecture, sculptures and so many else people may not realize that there are no candles in the basilica. Visit the candle grotta on the back of the basilica which is nice and cozy where you can light as many candles as you want.Liked always this fantastic idea.

This church is situated in the most beautiful place one can imagine, on the Austrian Alps. It is recommended that you drive there on the small mountain roads, where the views are breathtaking. The church is the most important pilgrimage destination in Austria. It is a richly decorated Baroque Church worth seeing. I suggest you take time to go to the Holy Mass, too, if you are religious.

The village is nice, looking a bit like an Austrian Lourdes, with the shops of souvenirs. The Basilica is amazing. Golden things everywhere. Impressive without emotion because of the building-up of luxury and details. But the work needed and the talent of those who did it is fascinating. A place to go

We drove from Neuburg an der Murz to Mariazell. Although it was a cloudy day, the views were still incredible. The Basilica is a very special place, and I think it will stay with me for a long time.The town is tranquil, and very, very pretty.

We drove south from Loich into the mountains and reached Mariazell after enjoying the wonderful mountain scenery. Mariazell is a very beautiful quiet small town, with a magnificent church. Then had a lunch in the restaurant opposite to the church, the view of it is most enjoyable.

Beautiful little village with a magnificent big basilica surrounded by mountains. The basilica is newly renovated, it's for sure worth a little detour...

I had read a lot about this place before I went there. They were lovely. I mean the stories about this basilica. But what I saw exceeded all my expectations! A beautiful church, a unique atmosphere, breathtaking stories... St Maria saved a lot of people including me: I was about to fall down the stairs but She put my feet on the safe place... A miracle...

I have visited many churches in several countries but this is really breathtaking ! Hard to believe how they managed to build such a stunning Church ! Well worth a visit! Don't forget to visit the candle grotto at the back of the building!

The visit here was a testimonial of how faith should be a matter of joy, as well as reverence. Did not like that there were little too many selling areas inside the church.

I ended up here somewhat by accident, since I was simply travelling the shortest route between Klagenfurt and Sankt Polten, and avoiding the autoroutes. However, this ended up being a worthwhile stop. This basilica is quite stunning inside. While it apparently can be very crowded during pilgrimage times, when I was there it was quite quiet. It's a great place to sit and pray or to simply sit and admire the details of the beautiful architecture and decorations.As one reviewer noted, you are not supposed to take pictures inside. Since almost all the tourists inside seemed to be taking pictures (some even wth a flash!) and since the people ignoring the signs were all speaking German and could surely understand the signage, I decided to also take some discreet pictures (hence the attached pictures). Parking after 4 PM is free, or at least it was on the day I was visiting.incidentally, Mariazell is between Bruck an der Mur and Sankt Polten. The road from Bruck an der Mur through Mariazell and on to Sankt Polten is very scenic, but could not be described as fast. If you want to get to Vienna or Sankt Polten quickly, take the autoroute. If, on the other hand, you want a leisurely drive through Austrian mountains, this road fits the bill, with Mariazell as an added attraction at about the halfway point.

We came here on a Sunday and according to good catholic tradition everything was closed, with the exception of some very kitchy souvenir shops. It was an icy day- and we were a bit shocked that the steps leading to the church were extremely slippery. Since most of the visitors are elderly people it seems that the ones in charge neglect concerns of safety , health and well-being. Also I missed a human being selling the various postcards and other religious souvenirs. I found it extremely impersonal that one just had to put the money in a box. Also in the church there was no way you could buy and burn a candle- they only sold bottles for holy water. The statute of Saint Mary is splendid- and watching the crowd presenting their sorrow and joys to the patron saint is impressive. But somehow I missed the warmth of candles burning, people helping and informing the visitors- in that sense it felt somewhat too impersonal and devoid of any human touch.

Es stört mich, dass in der kerzengrotte nur teelichter gekauft werden können, 1 kerzerl für 1 euro, das ist wucher,....

Als Ziel des Via Sacra Weges echt sehenswert. Schade ist, dass die meisten Souvenirgeschäfte im Winter geschlossen sind.