LOURDES+FATIMA AND OTHER MARIAN SHRINES OF EUROPE

Early departure from Lviv.

Crossing the Polish border. Transfer to Częstochowa. Liturgy. We’ll begin our pilgrimage at Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Europe (after Lourdes, Fatima, and Medjugorje). Here we’ll pray before the miraculous icon of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa (Belz).

During the tour, we’ll learn about the icon’s history and see the precious gifts that the faithful have brought to the Virgin Mary over the centuries.

Transfer to the hotel for overnight stay.

Breakfast.

Arrival in Prague. Liturgy. Prague – the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Many buildings and structures in Prague’s historic center are true masterpieces of architectural art. The most famous complex of architectural monuments is Prague Castle with St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Town Square with the Church of Our Lady before Týn, and the Old Town Hall with its astronomical clock. One of the most notable structures is also the Gothic Charles Bridge, built in the 14th century.

Overnight transfer to La Salette.

Arrival in La Salette. Liturgy.

La Salette – the place where in 1846, in the French Alps, the Virgin Mary appeared to two children. She asked them to spread her request for abandoning sin and turning to her Son throughout the world. At the site of the Apparition, where the Blessed Virgin Mary stood, a miraculous spring began to flow. It flows constantly to this day.

On the mountain in La Salette, a church, monastery, and hotel for pilgrims have been built, and the Message of Our Lady of La Salette is carried to the world by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette. Participation in the evening prayer program. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Liturgy. Breakfast. Transfer to Lourdes.

Lourdes – a small town in southwestern France. It became famous in the second half of the 19th century when one of the most famous apparitions of the Mother of God to the girl Bernadette Soubirous occurred on its outskirts. A spring with healing water began to flow at the site of the apparition. For many years, people suffering from serious ailments have been coming to this place. Participation in the evening candlelight procession.

Check-in at the hotel, dinner, overnight stay.

Breakfast. Liturgy.

Excursion “In the footsteps of St. Bernadette Soubirous”. St. Bernadette is the girl to whom the “Lady” (Virgin Mary) appeared in a cave near her village and said to her: “Go to the priests and tell them to build a chapel on this place, for I want it to become a place of grace for people.” At the time of the apparition, she was 14 years old. She was from a poor peasant family and could neither read nor write. Later, Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity convent. Although she was ill herself, she sincerely cared for other sufferers. She died at the age of 35.

Free time. Participation in the evening candlelight procession.

Dinner, overnight at the hotel.

Visiting the baths – the place where the spring began to flow after the apparitions, where healings have occurred and continue to occur.

Free time. Overnight transfer to Fatima.

Arrival in Fatima. Liturgy.

Fatima – a city in central Portugal. It became a world-famous Christian center due to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Today it is the most visited Marian site. On May 13, 1917, the Mother of God first appeared to three shepherd children – Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco, who were driving a flock of sheep to pasture. The Blessed Virgin asked the children to come to the same place on the 13th of each month. The message given to them contained a call to repentance for daily sins, to pray the rosary for these intentions, and to consecrate the world to Her Immaculate Heart. During each visit, the Virgin insisted on daily prayer of the rosary.

Participation in the evening procession.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. Liturgy.

Way of the Cross. Free time.

Overnight transfer to Valencia.

Early arrival in Valencia. Liturgy.

Valencia is located on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. For its mild climate and beautiful nature, it is sometimes called paradise on earth. The Cathedral of Valencia is world-famous, and the cathedral’s bell tower is the highest religious structure in Valencia.

Transfer towards Barcelona.

Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. Transfer to Barcelona.

Barcelona – a city founded by the Romans about two thousand years ago. One of the historical centers of Catalan and Spanish cultures. The city amazes with the beauty and uniqueness of its architecture. The masterpieces of Antoni Gaudí alone are worth seeing – in particular, the Sagrada Família (Church of the Holy Family). We will visit the Cathedral, walk along La Rambla – the most famous street in Barcelona.

Transfer to Montserrat. Montserrat – here, at an altitude of 721 meters above sea level, is one of the most famous monasteries in the world – a Benedictine monastery. It is the spiritual symbol and religious center of Catalonia, known for the statue of the “Black Virgin of Montserrat”, called La Moreneta (“the little dark-skinned one”). According to legend, it was carved by the evangelist Luke and brought to Barcelona by the apostle Peter. Hidden from the Moors, it was supposedly miraculously found in one of the caves of the Montserrat mountain range in the 9th century. The monastery museum houses works by El Greco, Picasso, and other Spanish artists, and the monastery library, which holds many unique editions, is only accessible to world-renowned male scholars.

Overnight transfer to Turin.

Arrival in Turin.

Turin – an elegant city with wide streets, squares, palaces, and a unique capital atmosphere. Located in northwestern Italy, it is the capital of the Piedmont region. It was the first capital of unified Italy, the “cradle” of the Risorgimento – the national liberation movement for unification and freedom. Basilica of Superga – a cathedral on a high hill east of the historic part of Turin. San Giovanni Battista – a cathedral built at the end of the 15th century and dedicated to the patron saint of the city. The main relic of the cathedral is the Shroud of Turin.

Check-in at the hotel. Overnight stay.

Breakfast. Transfer to Padua.

Padua is one of the oldest cities in northern Italy, located near Venice. According to legend, the city was founded in the 12th century BC. For centuries, Padua was an important cultural center of Italy, home to one of the oldest Italian universities. The patron saint of this city is St. Anthony, and pilgrims from all over the world come to pray at his relics. During the tour, we will visit the Basilica of St. Anthony, the Church of St. Justina, which houses the relics of the evangelists Luke and Matthew, as well as the relics of the first martyrs of the early centuries.

Optional transfer to Venice. In Venice, we will see the most famous bridge in Venice – the Rialto Bridge. We will learn about the history of Venice and visit its most famous church – St. Mark’s Basilica, where the relics of the Evangelist are located. We will see the main St. Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace – the rulers of the Venetian Republic, the Church of St. John the Baptist. It houses a part of the relics of John the Baptist. Antonio Vivaldi was baptized in this church, so his music is always played here. Return to Padua.

Overnight transfer to Ukraine.

Return to Lviv