Fodor's Expert Review Pilgrimage Church of St. Mary of Bistrica

Croatia's preeminent religious pilgrimage site is home to the Blessed Virgin of Bistrica, a black, wooden, 15th-century Gothic statue of the Holy Mother associated with miraculous powers (per legend, having survived the Turkish invasion and a subsequent fire) and set in the main altar. The church, which was proclaimed a Croatian shrine by the nation's parliament in 1715, was rebuilt in the neo-Renaissance style in the late 19th century; the shrine complex adjacent to the church was enlarged in time for a 1998 visit by Pope John Paul II. Behind the church is a huge amphitheater built for the pope's visit, and from there, you can climb up Kalvarija (Calvary Hill) to the Stations of the Cross, ornamented with sculptures by Croatian artists.