Mariazell (German pronunciation: [ˌmaʁiːaˈtsɛl] ⓘ; Central Bavarian: Mariazöö) is an Austrian city in the southeastern state of Styria.

Well known for being a hub of winter sports and a pilgrimage destination, it is located 143 kilometres (89 miles) north of Graz.

The object of veneration is an image of the Virgin Mary reputed to work miracles, carved in lime-tree wood.

There is no trace of large or enclosed settlements in the area of modern Mariazell dating from pre-Christian times or the first century AD.

The large number of Illyrian and Celtic mountain and river names in the region, such as for example the Erlauf, however, suggest small settlements by these tribes.

In 1025, Emperor Conrad II gave his sister-in-law Beatrix, married to Adalbero of Eppenstein, parts of the county in the Mürztale as a gift.

In 1157, Monk Magnus came into the Zellertal with a lime-tree wood statue of the Virgin Mary and founded the first chapel there, around which the town later grew.

1683: Fears arising from yet another Ottoman invasion caused the holy statue as well as the treasury images to be sent to St. Lambrecht, from which they were returned later that year.

1742: Empress Maria Theresa granted Abbot Eugen Inzaghi the privileges of an Archabbot over Gollrad and Aschbach, as well as over the Mariazell cast iron works.

[3] In 1786, Emperor Joseph II dissolves the Monastery of St. Lambrecht, from which Mariazell was serviced, in the course of his cloister abolishments.

1809: Faced with a French advance in the War of the Fifth Coalition, church treasures are brought to Temesvár in Hungary for security.

In the course of this great event, the entire city receives a façade facelift, the main plaza is redesigned, and parks are created.

1992: The Bendictines of Kremsmünster transfer the duty of pastoral care for the pilgrimages into the custody of the founding monastery and mother cloister of St. Lambrecht.

Most notable about the Mariazell Basilica, built in the 14th and 15th centuries but with a superb baroque interior, are the three towers on its western front.

The holy image is a small wooden Marian statue from the 13th century, which is clothed in a splendid garment and plays a great role in the popular devotions of many Austrian Catholics.

However the terminus of the line at Mariazell station lies around 1 km (0.6 mi) north of the city center in the municipal territory of Sankt Sebastian.

The station is also the terminus of the Museumstramway Mariazell-Erlaufsee, a standard gauge heritage steam tramway that operates to the nearby Erlaufsee.