Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Levoča

The Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Slovak: Bazilika navštívenia Panny Márie) in Levoča, Slovakia is located at the summit of Mariánska hora (English: Marian Hill), (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmarijaːnska ˈɦɔra]; 781 m. above sea level), a hill above Levoča with views over the town and countryside.

[1] It is thought that the location of the chapel was used as a refuge by the townsfolk of Levoča during the Mongol invasions of the 13th century; it may also have been attached to a hospital for sufferers from leprosy.

Construction, to the design of the architect Anton Müller, was not completed until 1914, as a consequence of poor materials and the collapse of the new tower in 1908.

[5] Pope John Paul II, at the request of the local bishop, upgraded the church to a Basilica Minor in 1984, and visited the site himself on 3 July 1995, when about 650,000 pilgrims gathered for the occasion.

On 3 October 2005, Levoča and Mariánska hora were selected to join the European Association of Marian Pilgrimage Sites.