Marian devotion
Our Lady of Šiluva
Šiluva, Lituania
The first Marian sanctuary in Europe dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and place of the first Marian apparition documented in Europe.
The apparition of 1608
In 1608, the Virgin Mary appeared to several pastors in Šiluva, Lithuania. The apparition was documented by the ecclesiastical authorities and is considered the first known Marian apparition in Europe. The Virgin appeared crying on a rock, lamenting that the faithful had abandoned the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation.
History of the Sanctuary
The Shrine of Šiluva was built at the place of apparition. The first church was erected in 1457 by the noble Petas Simonas Gedgaudas, who brought an image of the Virgin Mary from Rome. The church was destroyed during the religious wars of the 16th century, but was rebuilt after the apparition of 1608.
«La Virgen de Šiluva lloró porque su pueblo había olvidado la fe. Sus lágrimas fueron el llamado a la conversión.»
The miraculous image
The image of Our Lady of Šiluva is an oil painting of the 16th century that represents the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus. The image has been canonically crowned in 1786 by Pope Pius VI and is considered one of the most important Marian images of Eastern Europe.
Miracles and conversions
Over the centuries, many miracles have been attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Šiluva:
- Cures for incurable diseases
- Protestants to Catholicism
- Protection during wars and occupations
- Preservation of faith during Soviet persecution
The annual pilgrimage
Every year, in September, tens of thousands of pilgrims from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and other countries come to the Shrine of Šiluva. The largest pilgrimage took place in 1993, when Pope John Paul II visited the sanctuary during his apostolic journey to the Baltic countries.
Prayer to Our Lady of Šiluva
Oh, Our Lady of Šiluva, Mother of Mercy and Queen of Lithuania. You who wept for the abandoned faith of your people, intercede for us before your Son Jesus. It strengthens our faith, protects our land and guides us to conversion and unity. Amen.
Documentary update
The history of Šiluva links Marian devotion with the recovery of the Catholic presence in the place. The tradition places in 1608 the vision of a weeping woman with the Child before shepherds. The documentation of the sanctuary and the sources consulted relates this episode to the memory of the goods of the former church, the recovery of documents and the return of the land to the Catholic Church in 1622. In 1643 a brick chapel was erected over the place that tradition identifies with the apparition.
The Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was consecrated in 1786 and the image received a solemn coronation that same year, with pontifical authorization according to the devotional source consulted. The same source attributes to Pius VI a decree of 17 August 1775 on the authenticity of the apparition; as the primary pontifical text has not been located here, the fact sheet retains a prudent formulation: the veneration and tradition of recognition is documented, but the exact document of the apparition is not recorded in the file consulted.
The present complex brings together the Baroque basilica and the chapel of the Apparition, completed in 1924 according to the heritage source. St. John Paul II raised the sanctuary to the lower basilica in 1988 and prayed in the chapel on 7 September 1993. The coronation of the image, the papal visits and the pilgrimage belong to the public history of the sanctuary; the accounts of healing or recovery of sight are maintained as a devotional tradition and are not presented here as approved miracles.
Sources of this update: Destinations, historical and heritage guide of Šiluva; Šiluva, mapa oficial del santuario; Wikidata, Shiluva.
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