Lithuania converted to Catholicism with the baptism of its monarch in the 14th century. In the following century, the first church in Šiluva, a small town in the center of the country, was built thanks to the generosity of a family who wanted to establish a shrine in honor of Our Lady.
The Giedgaudas family donated a beautiful icon, said to have been brought back from Rome, for the veneration of the faithful. The wooded region gave its name to the image of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Pine Woods. Soon, the shrine attracted large crowds, some coming from far away to honor the Mother of God, especially on the feast of her Nativity on September 8.
But from 1532 onwards, the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants led to the destruction of the country's religious architectural heritage. In the Šiluva region, the majority of the population became Calvinist, and the shrine church was confiscated by the civil authorities.
Abandoned, it eventually burned down completely. However, the last priest managed to hide the much-venerated icon and the deeds to the buildings in a chest. He buried the chest on the grounds of the devastated church.
Apparitions in 1608
A few years later, religious tensions eased and the Calvinist authorities allowed Catholics to recover their property. Some of the faithful then attempted to regain possession of the church site, but no one knew about the chest buried by the priest. The deeds appeared to be lost forever, making restitution almost impossible.
During the summer of 1608, some children from the village reported seeing a beautiful lady holding a baby in her arms and weeping bitterly. The news caused a sensation and, the next day, many villagers went to the site.
Then, everyone saw the apparition, even the Protestant pastor who had accompanied the curious onlookers. This makes Šiluva one of the rare apparitions of the Blessed Virgin to non-Catholics. The Mother of Jesus was in tears, standing on the very spot where the church had been destroyed. Miraculously, the chest that had been buried several years earlier was found. The Catholics were then able to assert their right to the disputed land.
Invoked for those who have lost their faith
A small wooden church was immediately built, and the rediscovered icon was placed back on the high altar. But the chapel soon became too small, as the apparition strengthened the faith of the inhabitants. In fact, within a few years, the region became almost entirely Catholic again. The current basilica dates from the 18th century and is one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Lithuania. Facing it a short distance away is a Neo-Gothic chapel on the site of the apparition.
In 1775, Pope Pius VI approved and encouraged devotion to Our Lady of Šiluva. He authorized the canonical coronation of the painting and granted indulgences to pilgrims. Despite repression for long periods under Russian and USSR rule, the devotion remained alive, and many people have claimed miraculous cures there.
John Paul II went to pray there in 1993, and in 2006 Benedict XVI blessed two new golden crowns for the miraculous image of Mary and the Child Jesus.
Today, Our Lady of Šiluva is particularly invoked by all those who have lost their faith.
