Svatý Hostýn
The mountain Hostýn (735m altitude) with the basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is sometimes called the lighthouse of Moravia. According to a 13th century legend, the Virgin Mary of Svatý Hostýn miraculously diverted the onslaught of the Tartars. The current Baroque pilgrimage temple, finished in 1747, was built to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of the turning back of the Tartar hordes. It stands on the site of a small Marian chapel, the foundations of which were discovered several years ago during a reconstruction of the tile floor.
Hostýn has two peaks; a lookout tower with the chapel of the Holy Cross and a wind-power plant called St. Joseph are on the higher peak, a pilgrimage church – basilica minor since 1982 – is on the lower peak. The portal of the basilica is adorned by a mosaic of the Hostýn Madonna, a crowned statue of the Virgin Mary of Svatý Hostýn stands on the main altar. Two Calvarias will take you around the surroundings; the author of the newer one is architect Dušan Jurkovič, inspired by the folk architecture of the Valašsko and Kysuce when building the individual stations of the cross; each is adorned by Passion theme mosaics by Jano Köhler. There is also a museum in Svatý Hostýn and several chapels and pilgrimage houses.
