Pilgrimige Sites

Levoca: On the first weekend in July, thousands make the journey to the hilltop sanctuary of Marianska Hora, a mile out of town. Dating to the 13th century, this is Slovakia’s most important Marian shrine.
Locator: En route between Poprad and Kosice

Sastin Straze: The pilgrimage site is the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrow, a shrine dating from 1564.
Locator: One hour away from Bratislava on the road to Prague

Famous Cathedrals

Bratislava: The Cathedral of St. Martin, place of the coronation of Hungarian kings and queens, is the most important building in the capital. It was built in the 14th-15th centuries on the site of the older St. Salvador church. Many ecclesiastical and secular authorities are buried in the crypts of the cathedral, registered as a national monument.

Kosice: The landmark St. Elizabeth Cathedral, completed in 1508, has endured siege, fire, earthquake and flood; it was remodeled in the last 19th century and restored in the late 20th.
Locator: 55 mi. from Miskolc in Hungary.

Spisska Kapitula (East Slovakia): A 16th century wall encircles the town’s Gothic houses and the magnificent Cathedral of St. Martin, built in 1273 with twin Romanesque towers, Gothic sanctuary and Bishop’s mansion.
Locator: 10 mi. from Levoca.

Nitra: Some of the most evocative religious architecture is in Nitra, the oldest documented settlement in Slovakia, with a church base on Martin Hill dating to the 9th century.
Locator: 11 hours from Bratislava.

Jewish Heritage Sites

Bratislava: Tomb of Chatam Sofer, founder of a major European rabbinical school, is located in the small Jewish cemetery. It is a pilgrimage site for Jews from all over Europe.

Liptovsky Mikulas: Synagogue, just off the main square and housing Jewish artifacts.
Locator: 2 hours from Kosice.

Lucenec: The last of the synagogues remaining in the town, it was designed by Hungarian architect Lipot Baumborn whose monumental design and style is reminiscent of the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul.
Locator: 50 mi. southeast of Banska Bystrica.

Senica: The old Jewish “circle” cemetery is a curiosity, measuring 450 across and surrounded by a wall. With burials in several layers, even the graves are arranged in a circle, and inscriptions are in Hebrew, Slovak, Hungarian and German.
Locator: 1 1/2 hrs. from Bratislava.