Maria Taferl pilgrimage basilica

As a national shrine to the sorrowful Mother of God, the Maria Taferl pilgrimage basilica is a spiritual place worthy of visiting.

The Maria Taferl pilgrimage basilica is located on the north bank of the River Danube. The Maria Taferl pilgrimage basilica is Lower Austria's shrine to the sorrowful Mother of God.

From the picturesque Marian shrine on a hill 233 m above the Danube, there is a magnificent view over the Donautal Valley and the rolling hills of the Mostviertel, up to the Alps, which spread out to a width of over 300 km before your very eyes.

The laying of the foundation stone of the Maria Taferl pilgrimage church, which included the oak tree with the sacred image (from which the name of the church was derived), took place on 25 April 1660. The building was designed by an unknown architect, and its construction was initially under the direction of the Lower Austrian court and landscape architect Georg Gerstenbrand. From 1671 the Italian Carlo Lurago, who mainly worked in Bohemia, continued the construction. In 1707, Jakob Prandtauer was commissioned with the completion of the building.

The basilica's treasury is a beautifully painted room in a colourful, traditional Baroque style with frescoes showing the Creation story on the ceiling, and scenes of miraculous healings and rescues on the walls.