A rare tourist would have looked in a small village Medugorje (or Medjugorje) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, if not for one extraordinary event that occurred here in 1981 .It was then that the Mother of God appeared here for six children - and in the future they repeatedly saw her wonderful image and talked with the Virgin Mary .Despite the fact that the appearance is still not recognized by the official church, it does not prevent Medugorju from remaining one of the main Christian pilgrimage centers in the Balkans - the village is visited annually by more than a million people..
How to get to Medugorje
Medugorje is located 25 km south-west of Mostar. It is easy to get there by taxi or public transport - in the latter case, on the northern bus station Mostar, you need to take the bus number 48, which leaves every 45 minutes - 1 hour. Travel time to Medugorje is about 45 minutes.
Similarly, it is easy to get to Medugorje from Croatian Split. The journey takes about two hours, the motorway is excellent. From Split and Dubrovnik to Medugorje, a bus departs once a day.
Where to stay
Bosnians joke that the hotels and accommodation options in the Medjugorje are almost more than in the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina - and this is very similar to the truth: a million pilgrims in go need somewhere to be accommodated, and local residents, numbering only 5000, do not mind earn extra money. However, the special quality of service should not be counted - come to Medjugorje not for enjoying luxury. But also the accommodation is not at all expensive - within 25-40 EUR per night with meals.
What to see
The most significant places of pilgrimage in Medugorje are the Church of St. James, the Phenomena Hill and the White Cross Hill.
The Hill of Appearance is the very place where the children first saw the Virgin Mary. To the top of the hill leads a long staircase, the steps of which are worn by numerous pilgrims. On either side of it are 15 bronze reliefs depicting the qualities of the divine beginning. A statue of the Virgin is erected on a small platform on top, around which you can see praying pilgrims at any time.
The Church of St. James is the heart of Medugorje, there is a local parish here. The snow-white church in the characteristic Balkan style with two towers was built from 1934 to 1969. At the entrance you can see the statue of the Virgin Mary, the interiors are distinguished by minimalism and exalted simplicity.
The Hill of the White Cross is a low elevation a little further from Medugorje. At its top rises a cross, erected by the villagers in 1933, 1900 years after the crucifixion of Christ. It is also a popular pilgrimage site, because in one of her messages to the children the Mother of God said that she is at the foot of the cross every day.
In the Park of Candles, pilgrims light candles for the health of their close people and as a sign of fulfillment of the coveted requests to the Virgin Mary. The blue cross is a monument that stands for another place of the Virgin Mary's appearance - this time to the same children who were hiding from the police. And to this day of every second day of the month, the Virgin Mary is here one of the participants of those events - Medugorijke Mirjana. The messages are published on the official website of Medugorje. Via Domini ("The Way of the Lord") leads to the statue of the risen Savior. On both sides there are five mosaics that tell about the life of Christ. It is also a popular place for prayers for the glory of the Theotokos.
| Medugorje |
| Entrance to the church, Medugorje |
| Medugorye at night |