Hostýn
Hostýn, also called Saint Hostýn, is a hill in Chvalčov, in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It is 735 metres high and part of the Hostýn-Vsetín Mountains. It is a famous Marian pilgrimage site.
A legend explains the site’s significance: during a 13th‑century Tartar raid, people seeking shelter prayed to Mary, a spring appeared from the ground, and a powerful storm forced the attackers to retreat.
On the hilltop lies an ancient hill fort with a 4–8 metre high earth-and-stone wall. The fortress dates to about 1200 BC and was built by the Lusatian culture; it was later rebuilt by Celts and others.
The first medieval chapel to the Virgin Mary was likely built by miners and is mentioned in 1544. The Mary legend grew, especially during conflicts with the Turks, and more pilgrims visited.
A basilica was built between 1721 and 1748, along with a Way of the Cross and a pilgrims’ hospice. A chapel near the spring of holy water added to the site’s healing reputation, earning Hostýn the nickname Moravian Lourdes. In 1909 a 240-step stairway connected the spring to the basilica.
In 1903 new open-air Stations of the Cross were added by architect Dušan Jurkovič, making Hostýn a major tourist and pilgrimage site. The largest crowds were in August 1912, when the main statue of Mary was crowned in Rome by Pope Pius X, with about 200,000 visitors in ten days.
Geology: Hostýn is part of a larger geological formation. The hill itself is mainly paleogenic flysch sandstone, with the base and saddles made from deluvial soil-stone-clay deposits.
Location: 49.383° N, 17.700° E.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:05 (CET).