Basilica Mariatrost

After Mariazell, the Graz Mariatrost pilgrimage church is Styria’s most important Marian shrine. Built at the height of the imperial Baroque (1714), the church was elevated to a “basilica minor” by Pope John Paul II on 28 October 1999. Next to Mariazell, Stift Rein and Abtei Seckau, Mariatrost is therefore Styria’s fourth basilica.

The steep stairs with 216 steps leading up to the basilica symbolise a piligrim’s path on a smaller scale. This connection from “below” to “above” is intended to help pilgrims connect with god.