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The Marian shrine rose to fame in the 1980s after purported apparitions of the Virgin Mary there. Alamy Stock Photo
bosnian pilgrimage
Virgin Mary shrine in Medjugorje is desecrated days ahead of annual gathering
Some of the graffiti appeared to attack people who claim to communicate messages from the reputed apparitions.
THE PILGRIMAGE SITE in Bosnia that’s popular with Irish tourists has been vandalised, and a nearby altar set ablaze.
It comes just days before tens of thousands are expected to gather at the shrine.
The Marian shrine of Medjugorje, about 140 kilometres southwest of Sarajevo, rose to fame in the 1980s after purported apparitions of the Virgin Mary there.
It has become one of the most popular Catholic pilgrimage sites, with more than a million people visiting “Apparition Hill” every year.
There are direct chartered flights to Medjugorje from the airport in Knock, Co Mayo. Most flights scheduled for the next two months are already fully booked. They range in price from €795 to €915.
Local media published images of the damage, showing black spray paint covering the central statue of the Virgin Mary’s face and the words “devil in a skirt” scrawled across its pedestal.
Security camera footage also published by local outlet Jabuka TV showed a man setting fire to the outdoor altar of the nearby St James Church.
Police told AFP they were investigating after worshippers reported “offensive messages” and a fire at the site.
Some of the graffiti, written in both Polish and English, appeared to attack people who claim to communicate messages from the reputed apparitions – known locally as “visionaries”.
The incident occurred just days before the annual prayer gathering, which is held in the first week of August, and draws more than 50,000 young people from around the world to Medjugorje.
In September 2024, the Vatican recognised the shrine but stopped short of ruling on the messages that “visionaries” claimed to receive from the Virgin and regularly pass on to believers.
The decision boosted the prominence of the pilgrimage site in the small village, which has drawn followers ever since six young people reported seeing the Virgin Mary there in 1981.
The Medjugorje parish office said in a statement that the planned event would still go ahead and repairs were already under way.
“It is with great sadness that we learned of the act of vandalism targeting our parish’s places of prayer,” the parish office said.
The statement also called for its followers to respond “through prayer, fasting, and forgiveness”.
With reporting by AFP
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