Basilica of Our Mother of Mercy

The Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy is a Roman Catholic church building in the rank of a minor basilica in Maribor, Slovenia. It is run by the Order of the Franciscans.

Location and architecture

The north of the Drava located basilica in neo-Romanesque style is the work of the Viennese architect Richard Jordan. The construction management was the court architect Josef Schmalzhofer from Vienna held. To the south of the church building, two-story Franciscan monastery was also built by Jordan and Schmalzhofer.

The three-aisled basilica has on its front page two massive bell towers with a height of 58 meters each. Also the interior of the church was designed by architect Richard Jordan. The pulpit, designed by him has reliefs with figures of the Latin Church Fathers Gregory, Jerome, Augustine of Hippo and Ambrose of Milan. On the roof of the chancel is a statue of St John the Baptist dar. The high altar with the miraculous image of Our Lady of Mercy consists of 17 different types of marble. In addition, there are six side altars in the church. The organ from 1900 is a work of the master organ builder Josef Brandl from Marburg. It was restored in 1992.

Miraculous image of Our Lady of Mercy

The miraculous image of Our Lady of Mercy was brought by a countess Stubenberg in 1746 to Graz for repair. There it is to have a first miracle cure effected. For a year the miraculous image was then in the chapel of the castle Freybühel in Hengsberg until the Countess in 1747 donated the Minoritenkirche of Maribor. As the Minoritenkloster was closed as part of the Josephine reforms, the miraculous image initially finally came in the Capuchin church of Maribor and from there to the Mother of Mercy Basilica.

History

The Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy stands on the site of the former Capuchin church, which was built in the 17th century at the instigation of Count Jacob Khiesla. Due to the growing number of faithful of the Franciscan Father Kalist Heric initiated the construction of a larger church. The construction work started in 1892 and on 11 August 1900, the new church was consecrated by Bishop Michael Napotnik. On November 7, 1906, she was minor from Pope Pius X to the rank of Basilica, highlighting one designed by the sculptor Viktor Gojkovič plaque above the main portal recalls. Today, the Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy is home to the care of the Franciscans of Mary parish in the deanery of the Archdiocese of Maribor Maribor.