Church of Our Lady of the Snow

The Church of Our Lady of the Snow in Provodov is a Baroque pilgrimage church standing on the Malenisko hill, about a kilometre from the village of Provodov, in the Vizovice Hills of Moravia, in the Zlín Region. The whole complex - the church together with its terrace and main and side staircases - is protected as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic, and the site has been regarded as one of the region's more significant pilgrimage destinations since the 18th century.

How did this pilgrimage site come about?

The sanctuary's history is tied to a spring on the Malenisko hill that locals believed had healing properties. Count Wolfgang Serényi, owner of the Luhačovice estate, is said to have been cured through the spring's water and, in gratitude, built a wooden chapel beside it. Devotion to Mary at the site grew quickly enough that the wooden chapel was eventually replaced with a masonry structure. In 1734 a single-nave Baroque church with a three-sided apse was built and consecrated on 5 August 1735. Pilgrim numbers kept rising, and by 1750 the small church had already been enlarged to roughly the shape it retains today.

What is there to see inside?

The focal point of the interior is a painting of the Nursing Virgin Mary (Panny Marie Kojící) on the main altar. The painting was brought from Vienna in 1710, and it was this image that anchored the Marian devotion drawing pilgrims from across Moravia to Malenisko. The exterior of the church - with its distinctive terrace and two staircases, one main and one side - is the result of the 18th-century Baroque rebuilding and is protected as a monument in its own right, alongside the church itself.

Where exactly is the church located?

The sanctuary stands on the Malenisko hill, on the slope of the Brdo ridge, within the Vizovice Hills, roughly a kilometre from the centre of Provodov. Its coordinates are 49.150329 N, 17.747891 E. A wooded hilltop location away from the village's built-up area was typical of Baroque pilgrimage sites built around springs believed to be miraculous.

Frequently asked questions

Is the church in Provodov a well-known pilgrimage site? Yes - the Malenisko sanctuary has been regarded as one of the more significant pilgrimage destinations in the Zlín Region since the 18th century.

Who founded the first chapel here? Count Wolfgang Serényi, owner of the Luhačovice estate, after reportedly being healed by water from the spring at Malenisko.

When was the current masonry church built? The stone single-nave church with a three-sided apse was built in 1734 and consecrated on 5 August 1735; it was enlarged to a larger size in 1750.

What is displayed on the main altar? A painting of the Nursing Virgin Mary, brought to Provodov from Vienna in 1710.

How far is the church from the village of Provodov? About a kilometre, on the Malenisko hill, on the slope of the Brdo ridge in the Vizovice Hills.