[EN] Šiluva is famous for the first widely known apparition
of the Mother of God in Europe. The apparition of the Blessed
Virgin Mary occurred in 1608 or 1612. Children of the nearby
village were shepherding their herd on the land where the church
had formerly stood, when they saw a young woman standing on a large
rock, holding a baby in her arms and weeping bitterly.
Today Šiluva is one of the most important pilgrimage sites
in Lithuania with its ancient tradition of the indulgenced Feast of
the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The present church, the Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, was constructed and furnished in the third quarter of
the XVIII century. The building is one of the finest examples of
late Baroque architecture in Lithuania.
At the beginning of the XX century a majestic tower chapel was
built on the site of the Marian apparition. Standing forty meters
tall, the chapel was designed by the architect Anthony Vivulskis,
who also designed the Three Crosses monument in Vilnius. The altar
within the Apparition chapel is constructed upon the same rock
where, according to tradition, the Marian apparition took
place.
[LT] Švc. Mergeles Marijos apsireiškimas
Šiluvoje laikomas pirmuoju Marijos pasirodymu Europoje ir
vienu iš penkiu Bažnycios pripažistamu
apsireiškimu. Švc. M. Marija Šiluvoje
apsireiške 1608 metais (kitais duomenimis - 1612m), kuomet
kaimo piemeneliai pamate ant vieno didelio akmens mergele,
laikancia ant ranku vaikeli ir graudžiai verkiancia.
Maldininkus traukia ir Apsireiškimo koplycia. Tai jau
trecioji koplycia Marijos apsireiškimo vietoje. Ji statyta
XX a. pradžioje. I koplycios altoriaus pamatus imontuotas
akmuo, ant kurio, manoma, apsireiške Švc. Mergele
Marija.
Atgavus nepriklausomybe, naujai suklestejo Šiliniu atlaidu
tradicija, kurie vyksta kiekvienu metu rugsejo men. 08-15
dienomis.
