Our Lady of Tihaljina (the image of the Queen of Peace)

Origin and history

The Virgin of Tihaljina (in Croatian, Gospa od Tihaljin) is a beautiful image of the Virgin Mary venerated in the church of the Immaculate Conception of Tihaljina, una pequeña localidad de Bosnia y Herzegovina situada a unos 30 kilómetros de Međugorje. La iglesia se levantó en los años sesenta y su párroco, enamorado de una imagen mariana de extraordinaria belleza que había conocido en Italia (de estilo napolitano, «Capodimonte»), quiso una semejante para su templo.

The universal fame of this image is attached to Međugorje: as it is said, when the seers were asked what representation was most like the Lady they said they saw, they pointed out precisely the statue of Tihaljina. El franciscano Father Jozo Zovko He had his photograph printed on stamps and postcards, with the messages of the Virgin on the back, and had them translated into the main languages of the world, asking the pilgrims to take her by the heart. So, this very sweet face became the image that millions of people associate with the Queen of Peace, although the statue predates the events of Međugorje and is found in another population.

The image

It represents Mary standing, with a clear robe and a blanket, her hands open and her face bent with a serenity and tenderness that have moved those who contemplate her. Possibly known as Our Lady of Grace o Our Lady of Peace.

Nature of this devotion

This is a image mariana veneradanot an apparition. It should be distinguished: the statue of Tihaljina is a devotional work of art before which it is prayed, while the apparitions of neighbouring Međugorje are another issue. About Međugorje, the Holy See has not declared the supernatural; in September 2024 the Vatican granted a «nihil obstat» who authorizes devotion to Mary, Queen of Peace, and pilgrimages, recognizing their spiritual fruits, but without pronouncing on the authenticity of the messages or of the seers.

The changing face: a very referred phenomenon

Many pilgrims say that, in praying before this image, the Virgin seems to change the expression of the face and position: one sees it with a tilted head and a low eye, and a little later with a lifted head and a look at the front. Many have collected it in their own photographs, taken with a few minutes of difference.

«Tengo una fotografía con ella en la que está con la cabeza hacia abajo. Y cuando me vuelven a hacer otra foto, está con la cabeza alzada, mirando al frente.» — testimonio recogido para rezaelrosario.org.

The Church does not speak about these facts, which belong to the personal experience and mercy of the faithful. We keep them here with respect, as they are: memories and testimonies of the love of many towards the Mother.

Link to the Rosary

If there is something the Queen of Peace has not stopped asking, it is el Rosario: pray every day for the peace of the world and the conversion of hearts. Before the face of Tihaljina, who so many feel alive, the Rosary becomes conversation with a Mother who truly looks and listens. Pray, and let her lift up your look - as in those photographs - on the ground of your sorrows to the front, to her Son.