Maria Radna Abbey

The locality of Radna was first documented in 1440. Around 1520, a small chapel was built here. After the conquest of Banat by Ottoman troops in 1526, the chapel served as a refuge for Franciscan friars and the faithful. In 1668, the chapel received a paper image of the Virgin Mary, which miraculously remained intact during a fire set by Ottoman troops in 1695. This led to the image being attributed with miraculous powers. The first organized pilgrimage took place in 1709, when the inhabitants of Arad showed gratitude after a plague epidemic. In 1750, Maria Radna was officially recognized as a pilgrimage site, and a Baroque-style monastery was built. Between 1757 and 1767, a new church was erected in place of the old chapel, with construction completed in 1820. The Hungarian Archbishop Alexander Rudnay of Estergom consecrated the church and donated two golden crowns to the miraculous image. In 1895, a magnificent Carrara marble altar and two statues of the Virgin Mary were added. The church towers were raised by 30 meters to 67 meters in 1911. After World War I and the communist regime, which banned pilgrimages and dissolved the Franciscan order, Maria Radna experienced a resurgence after 1989. In 1992, Pope John Paul II granted the pilgrimage church the title of minor basilica. The Franciscans left the monastery in 2003 due to a lack of new vocations, and pastoral care was entrusted to the diocesan clergy.

The Maria Radna Monastery is located in Lipova, a district of the small town of Radna, in Arad County in the Vest region of Romania. It stands at an elevation of approximately 168 meters above sea level.

The Maria Radna Monastery is accessible to visitors and can be toured. It continues to serve as an important pilgrimage site.

• Șoimoș Fortress (Castle), approx. 3.1 km away
• Konopi Castle (Castle), approx. 10.0 km away
• Șiria Fortress (Castle), approx. 18.8 km away
• Bohus Castle (Castle), approx. 19.0 km away