- Address: Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Appearance of the Theotokos: June 24, 1981;
- Infrastructure: a place of worship, the Church of St. James, the hill of the White Cross.
A small settlement Medjugorje , Bosnia and Herzegovina , located just 25 kilometers from the larger city of Mostar , became known to a wide range only relatively recently.
At the moment, Medjugorje, which is essentially a village, is almost the most visited place in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Aspire here, first of all, not simple tourists, but pilgrims, adherents of the Christian religion.
Medjugorje - as a tourist attraction
It is due to the fact that in the already quite distant 1981, six local children allegedly were the Virgin Mary herself. Later the children claimed that the Mother of God had not only visited them several times, but also had talked with them.
According to the stories of teenagers, the phenomenon of the Virgin in the Medjugorje happened on June 24, 1981, on a small hill that is above the village. It was then that for the first time, as the children claim, they saw the Virgin Mary beckoning them with a characteristic gesture, but they got scared and fled.
The next day the children again had a desire to visit the hill. Arriving on the hill, they saw the Mother of God, but now they did not run away, but came to her and talked. Here are the names of these children, who were fortunate enough to talk with the Virgin Mary, who had already grown up:
- Ivanka Ivankovich;
- Jacob Cholo;
- Mariana Dragichevich;
- Vitska Ivankovich;
- Ivan Dragichevich;
- Maria Pavlovich.
Communicated with the Virgin Mary in the following days. So, for the third meeting, according to Maria Pavlovich, it was her Virgin Mary who asked to convey the message to all people: "Peace, peace, peace and only peace! The world should reign between God and man and between people! ".
Officially not recognized phenomenon
Perhaps this is somehow related to the fact that soon, in the early nineties, Bosnia was hit by a misfortune - a war that lasted three years, and the Mother of God wanted to warn people. Moreover, one of the reasons for the military actions has become aggravated religious contradictions.
However, we must remember that at that time in Yugoslavia, which included Bosnia, was cultivated atheism, and then the children were subjected to a serious psychological examination.
Despite the fact that five out of six children still, according to them, allegedly receive messages from the Mother of God at various intervals and transmit them to the whole world, this phenomenon has not so far been officially recognized by either the Catholic or the Orthodox Church.
Place of worship
Nevertheless, the village of Medjugorje, Bosnia annually visits more than one million pilgrims. By the way, in the settlement of simple houses of indigenous people even less than hotels - the latter quite a lot and they are oriented to different financial opportunities of pilgrims: modest hostels, comfortable hotels, four-star hotels with chic rooms.
The very place of worship of the Virgin is arranged in the central part of the city. This is a full-fledged complex with an external altar, a church and other structures.
Another religious landmark of the Medjugorje. The church is built of white stone. It took almost 35 years to erect it. Construction began in 1934, and ended only in 1969.
A small hill near the village. The white cross was installed on a hill in 1933, as a symbol of the fact that Jesus Christ was crucified 1900 years ago.
By the way, pilgrims also come here, because, as those who appeared to the Mother of God, allegedly the Virgin Mary told them that every day she comes to the Cross.
How to get there?
First you need to get to Bosnia and Herzegovina itself . Since there are no direct flights from Moscow, it will be necessary to fly with transplants through Vienna, Istanbul or other large European airports.
Next you will need to get to the large city of Mostar . For example, from the capital of Sarajevo , buses leave for Mostar every hour, and trains run three times a day. Time for the journey is about two and a half hours. And already from Mostar to Medjugorje there is an automobile land transport - only about twenty minutes on the way, and the pilgrims get to the village.