Žarošice, kostel sv. Anny - pouť ke Staré Matce Boží Žarošické

The first written mention of the Žarošice parish church is from 6th June 1326. In this document, Bishop Konrád of Olomouc promoted a church in the village Dambořice to a parish church, because the distance to the church in Žarošice is too long. Several disasters happened in the history of the Žarošice church, for example the fires in 1510 and 1683. The church was heavily destroyed during the looting of the Swedish army in 1645 and during the Turkish invasion in 1663 and 1683. The lightning, which struck the church in 1673, also caused great damage. Finally, the church was demolished at the beginning of the 18th century. A new church was built there. It was consecrated 9th August 1731. From a church called Among Vineyards, the revered statue of the Old Mother of God of Žarošice was brought to the parish church. It was the 11th September 1785 and since that time all pilgrimages have been organised there. There came so many pilgrims, that the parish church became too small for them. A big fire broke out in Žarošice the 28th June 1797. It destroyed the church and the parish house and a big part of the village. The church Among Vineyards and a house Na Silničné were only ruins at that time, so it was allowed to use bricks, iron bars, windows and other old material from them for building a new parish church. It was built in 1800 and 1801. The first Holy Mass was celebrated in the church the 8th September 1801. The church was consecrated the 18th October by a Josef Pernsteiner, the dean of Klobouky.
The revered statue of the Old Mother of God of Žarošice
The revered statue of the Old Mother of God of Žarošice is from 1325. It was made by an unknown artist, probably from workshops of the monastery in Velehrad or worksops of Cistercian order in Brno. The statue is carved from one piece of wood, it is 142 cm tall. The Virgin Mary is blessing with her right hand and holding baby Jesus in her left hand. Little Jesus is dressed in a long tunic. Mary´s forehead is wide, that symbolizes the Stool of Wisdom. Mary´s eyes are raised, because she is a queen. The statue is wearing a dress of French queens, according to the fashion from the 14th century. Mary´s head is covered with a white scarf. This is a symbol of her motherhood. The fact, that she is a virgin too, is expressed by loose hair, according to the medieval tradition. The posture of the statue expresses the Queen of Heaven. It is symbolized by a sceptre and little Jesus´s Baroque crown from 1687. New Gothic crowns for the statue were blessed by Pope John Paul II, 21st May 1995. It was during his visit of the pilgrimage place Svatý Kopeček (The Holy Hill) near Olomouc. Then he crowned the revered statue of the Old Mother. The statue of the Old Mother of God of Žarošice is placed in the parish church. Next to the statue, there is a gilded cylindrical box. Inside of the box, there are some documents with the signatures of parishes, villages, families and other people, who decided to dedicate themselves to the Virgin Mary. The oldest signature is from 1848.

Distance from the object

Railway station

Bus stop