Pope John Paul II raised the shrine to the status of Minor Basilica via his Pontifical decree Constat Intra Fines on 6 May 1988.

The town of Šiluva is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Lithuania with its ancient tradition of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, popularly called "Šilinės", also celebrated on September 8.

Huge crowds of the faithful, even from neighboring Protestant Prussia, would flock to this site to celebrate the indulgenced Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

[6] In the 16th century, a Lutheran pastor complained about members of his flock traveling to Šiluva to attend the indulgenced Catholic feast of the Nativity of Mary.

This issue was resolved [clarification needed] in the summer of 1608 when a few children tending their sheep in a field some distance away from Šiluva reported that they saw a beautiful woman holding a baby, appeared on the very spot where the church had stood.

Pope Pius VI confirmed the authenticity of the apparition of Our Lady of Šiluva by a papal decree promulgated on 17 August 1775.

[5] Pope John Paul II prayed at the shrine in the humble Lithuanian village of Šiluva in 1993, two years after the Baltic nation regained independence.

It displays the artistry of Lithuanian artists in exile at that time, due to Soviet occupation and repression of Lithuania during and following World War II.

[9] An exhibit regarding the history of the chapel and its representation of Lithuanian cultural and religious traditions was hosted in the Basilica's Memorial Hall from July 1 through October 17.

Because, inspired by the apparition, the community returned to the devout practice of their religion, Our Lady of Šiluva is invoked as the patroness of those who have lapsed from the faith, and of those who pray for them.

The Knights of Lithuania have sponsored the establishment of the "Our Lady of Siluva Fund, Inc." during its 2003 National Convention in Brockton, MA, as it celebrated its 90th anniversary.