Velika Gospa in Croatia: Thousands of pilgrims gather at Marian shrines

Velika Gospa in Sinj (Photo: Mario Žamić/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)

ZAGREB, 15 August 2025 – Thousands of people across Croatia are taking part in religious celebrations and pilgrimages today as the country marks Velika Gospa, the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

August 15 is one of the most significant dates in Croatia’s Catholic calendar, with believers travelling to Marian shrines around the country for Masses, processions and traditional religious ceremonies.

More than 20 Marian shrines will welcome pilgrims, with some of the largest gatherings taking place at Sinj, Marija Bistrica, Trsat, Pleternica and Aljmaš.

In Sinj, in Split-Dalmatia County, tens of thousands of pilgrims gather for the annual celebrations at the Shrine of the Miraculous Madonna of Sinj. The event includes a procession through the town and religious ceremonies centred on the image of the Madonna, which has been venerated there for centuries.

The shrine dates back to the 18th century and forms part of a church complex featuring four side chapels. A 43.5-metre-high bell tower next to the church was built between 1896 and 1927.

Large numbers of pilgrims are also expected at Marija Bistrica in Krapina-Zagorje County, Trsat in Rijeka, Pleternica in Slavonia and Aljmaš in eastern Croatia, among other locations.

Marija Bistrica (Photo credit. Silverije/CC license)

The Feast of the Assumption commemorates the belief that the Virgin Mary was taken bodily into Heaven at the end of her earthly life.

For generations, Velika Gospa has remained an important part of Croatia’s religious and cultural tradition, bringing together local communities and visitors in towns and villages across the country each August.