Medjugorje |
Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina is close to the Croatian border and had shot into limelight in 1981 as a popular Catholic pilgrimage site.
The layout of St James Church |
A series of Apparitions (supernatural appearance of Virgin Mary to six
children frequently and is continuing to happen to date) at the popular Our
Lady of Medjugorje cathedral has made it a holy pilgrimage site amongst Roman
Catholics after authorization from the Vatican in 2019. Those six children are now
adults and still receive messages from Mother Mary. More than a million pilgrims
visit the site annually now.
St James Church |
The drive to the place was full of excitement, which took
about 45 minutes through the countryside with hilly terrain. Medjugorje literally
means ‘between the mountains’. The place is at an altitude of 200m above sea level.
There is a meagre population of 2300 in this holy town. In the east of the town
is a Serbian Orthodox monastery that has stood since 1566. The town has
witnessed turbulence right from the medieval times to Ottoman empire, the
second world war and most recently during 1992 Bosnian Croatian conflict. Only
after series of apparitions, the place turned to penance, fasting, prayers and
peace. The town and its environs boomed post-war. A huge infrastructure of
hotels and hostels has mushroomed since then to cater to the needs of pilgrims.
A huge amphitheatre |
The St James Church with twin towers is a structure where
the idols of Mother Mary are installed. We were fortunate to witness a mass in
progress, and singing of hymns. There is a huge square right behind the church
where the stage is erected for huge gatherings.
Paintings from the Bible |
Also, a beautiful lawn with
paintings from the Bible is lined up along the path leading to gardens.
Statue of the Risen Christ |
Besides this, the Statue of Risen Christ is adjacent to the park. It is said
that this was the place where the six children had seen the appearance of the Virgin
Mary for the first time. It is said that the statue weeps from the knees from
time to time and this can be felt by placing the hand on the right knee of the
statue.
It was one of the most rewarding days of the trip where we
saw so much on a single day. The driver of our station wagon handed us a golden
replica of the Mother Mary of Medjugorje as a parting gift. It was a fitting
finale to the trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina
PS- All pictures are mine
Amazing stories and so picturesque.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Alka for reading and also for your kind comment.
DeleteLovely shots.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lady Fi
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