Chapel of the Holy Well

Chapel of the Holy well

Chapel of the Holy well is a chapel located in Marianka, Slovakia, upon the rumoured miraculous stream. The stream was reported to have miraculous healing effect on physically handicapped pilgrims visiting the pilgrimage site. In book of Kummer from the record of local cloister, 140 unusual recoveries were reported between 1634 - 1730. Among those recoveries were such as relief from blindness, reuma, paralysis, mestruation difficulties or mental diseases. Thankful believers presented Virgin Mary with various gifts or had engraved their prayers of thanks to slate tiles in a shrine beside the stream to the Virgin Mary which resembles pilgrim cave in Lourdes, France.

History of the chapel

Rotunda Chapel of the Holy well was commissioned in 1696 for 1000 golden coins by earl Paul Eszterhazy and local baron Ján Macholány, who is pictured with his family on one of the ceiling frescos. In the year of 1722 a new baroque altar was built, replacing the original one. In the year 1877 the statues of St. Anthony and St. Paul the Hermits were placed in front of the chapel. These statues came from the workshop of Rafael Donner. In the year 1981 these statues were replaced by replicas, made in Brno. Originals were transferred to the Slovak National Gallery, where they are a part of the original Baroque Art exhibition. The chapel was built right above the stream, out of which the water is directed to the front of the chapel and where its accessible to the visitors.