365 steps to heaven

Svatá Hora is the most important Marian pilgrimage site in Bohemia. The early Baroque complex with the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, its ambits and rich decoration has been overlooking Příbram for more than three centuries. However, some of life's questions may still be answered here today.

A place steeped in legend

Since the 15th century, there has been only a small chapel on the site of the present extensive grounds, to which a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus was probably moved at the beginning of the 17th century. Today, this precious statue has its place right in the middle of the silver altar in the Basilica of the Assumption. According to legend, it was carved by Archbishop Arnost of Pardubice himself. Since then, crowds of the faithful began to flock to the Holy Mountain to pray to the statue.

The chapel was also visited by the blind man Jan Procházka, whose sight was miraculously restored here, according to legend. In 1647, Svatá Hora was entrusted to the Jesuits, who built an elaborate Baroque complex here according to the plans of the Italian architect Carlo Lurag. Since 1861, the Holy Mountain has been looked after by the Redemptorist Order.

A treasury of Baroque art

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, where most services are held, dominates the complex on an elevated terrace. The basilica is surrounded by rectangular amphitheatres with four octagonal enclosed chapels at the corners. On the northeast side is the residence where the Redemptorists, the clergy and administrators of the Holy Mountain, live.

The grounds of the Holy Mountain also include several monuments in the immediate vicinity. In front of the main entrance is a square with a stone Marian column. On the nearby hillside you can stop by the Calvary sculpture or the St. Horus Oak, which is said to have been planted during the reign of Emperor Charles IV. On the south side of the St. Mountains complex is Toufar's Meadow, a park with the Stations of the Cross and the Marian Well.

A covered staircase leads from the centre of Příbram to Svatá Hora. There should be a total of 365 steps up to the Coronation Altar, as many as there are days in the year.

An opportunity for prayer and rest

If you want to learn more about the history of Svatá Hora, take a guided tour of the site. On other tours, you'll see other St. Horus highlights: the clock tower, the cellars beneath the chancel, the upper corridor of the residence, and the St. Horus bell tower with its eight bells, five of which ring out during the popular chime.

You can also visit the Svatohora Pilgrimage Museum, whose permanent exhibition presents the history of the pilgrimage site and the Jesuit order, or the unique archaeological finds that were discovered here during the reconstruction in 2015.