Csíksomlyó is the easternmost and most famous shrine of Mary in historic Hungary. It is located near the millennial border at the foot of the Eastern Carpathians. The shrine of Mary, which belonged to Hungary when our parents and grandparents were alive, miraculously survived as a national pilgrimage site for Hungarians all over the world after the border changes during the dark years of communism.

The most spectacular manifestation of this is the traditional pilgrimage on Pentecost Saturday, where hundreds of thousands of Hungarian pilgrims from all over the world gather as an annual reunion of a large national family. It is attended by representatives of the Hungarian Church and the Hungarian nation, both in Hungary and abroad, from ordinary commoners to the highest forums, including representatives of the Hungarian government and the President.

Thus, the Hungarian population of Hungary, Transylvania, Transcarpathia, Voivodia, Felvidék (today’s Slovakia), Moldavia, and also a large number of Hungarians from other countries of the world or from other continents take part in this Pentecostal gathering.

Such a large number of pilgrims is not only unheard of in the area but is an occasional rarity in the whole of Europe. This is why the most suitable place for this pilgrimage is the saddle of Csíksomlyó, the hilltop between the Great and Little Somlyó hills near the town of Csíkszereda, which is an ancient holy place and suitable for a crowd that can often approach half a million.

The hill is home to centuries-old chapels where hermits have lived from the Árpád era to the present day. The hill may also have once been the home of Pauline monks, as evidenced by the paintings on the ceilings of the centuries-old chapels.

Historically, the first written mention of the shrine of Csíksomlyó dates back to 1333, but in 1444 there is already a papal letter stating that donators were allowed to build a church here, as a pilgrimage site known throughout Europe.

In 1567, the Szeklers of Gyergyó and Csík stood up for their tradition and defended their Catholic faith against the then Protestant Transylvanian prince on the Saturday of Pentecost. It is said that this also contributed to the continued regular celebration of Pentecost Saturday.

The most remarkable and central attraction of the shrine is the 2.27-metre-high statue of Our Lady of Csíkszentmiklós, which stands on the main altar of the church and is one of the largest statues of Mary in the world. It was probably made by Szekler craftsmen in the years 1510-1515 and, in keeping with the tradition of the time, it depicts the Mother of God as the Madonna in the Sun, with a triple crown on her head, the moon at her feet and a wreath of 12 stars around her head, as described in the last book of the Bible. For more than half a millennium, the statue has been associated with numerous legends and miraculous prayer requests. Especially during the invasions of the hostile Turkish and Tatar armies, this statue of Mary became a spiritual refuge for local Christian communities, and an expression of the Hungarian nation’s faith in the very ancient Blessed Virgin Mary.

The statue has been in the care of the Franciscan Order for several centuries. The present church, which is also under Franciscan supervision, was begun in 1804, as the former, apart from being

attacked by Tatars and Turks many times over the centuries, had become very small by the end of the 18th century.

Csíksomlyó is also the site of numerous Hungarian religious, spiritual and cultural events, both in the sub-region and the region, in Transylvania and the entire Carpathian Basin. For this reason, a conference centre was established here a few decades ago to bring all this to life.