Aglona

In the lakeland of southeastern Latvia, the white twin-towered Baroque basilica of Aglona is the spiritual heart of Catholic Latvia and its foremost Marian pilgrimage shrine. Founded by Dominicans around a spring once held to heal, it draws tens of thousands of pilgrims each 15 August to the unveiling of its venerated icon of Our Lady of Aglona.

Aglona stands in the Latgale region of southeastern Latvia, a lakeland that has long been the Catholic heart of a largely Lutheran and Orthodox country. The town is built around the basilica, with a vast processional square opening before its twin white towers. This is the principal Marian pilgrimage shrine of Latvia and one of a small number of international shrines recognised by the Holy See.

The present Italian Baroque church was built between 1768 and 1780 and consecrated in 1800, but the devotion is older, reaching back to Dominican monks invited here at the end of the seventeenth century. At the centre of that devotion is the icon known as Our Miraculous Lady of Aglona, normally veiled and unveiled only during religious celebrations. A spring discovered by the founding Dominicans, once regarded as healing, still supplies water that pilgrims draw and carry away.

The shrine's standing was confirmed in the modern era. It was elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 1980, and in 1993 Pope John Paul II came here on pilgrimage. The defining moment of its year, though, is the feast of the Assumption on 15 August, when the all-night vigil, the processions and the unveiling of the icon draw pilgrims from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus and beyond.

Dominicans were invited to Aglona in 1697 by the Polish noblewoman Jeta-Justina Sastodicka, with the support of the Livonian Bishop Mikolaj Poplawski, and established a monastery and school in the late seventeenth century. A first wooden church was completed in 1699 but later burned. The present Italian Baroque stone church was built between 1768 and 1780 and consecrated in 1800 by Bishop J. Benislavski. Tradition holds that the founding Dominicans discovered a hidden healing spring among spruce trees, and the name Aglona is said to come from an old dialect word for spruce.

Aglona belongs to the Roman Catholic Church (Latin Rite) and was founded and long served by the Dominican Order from Vilnius. It is the principal Marian shrine of Latvia and of the Latgale region, recognised by the Holy See as one of its international shrines and elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 1980.

Several strands wind together at Aglona. The first is the icon of Our Lady of Aglona, a seventeenth-century image revered as miraculous and kept veiled for most of the year. Its unveiling during the great feasts is the emotional centre of the shrine, and devotional belief continues to attribute to it a particular power.

The second is the spring. Tradition recounts that wandering Dominican monks discovered a hidden healing spring among spruce trees more than three centuries ago, and the name Aglona itself is said to derive from an old dialect word for spruce. The sulphur source later lost its reputed potency, but its water is still regarded as a channel of divine grace and used in rituals; pilgrims commonly fill containers to carry home.

The third is the sheer scale of devotion the place can hold. On the eve of the Assumption, tens of thousands gather on the basilica square under the night sky for all-night vigils and processions. The experience of shared Marian devotion across nationalities, Latvians, Lithuanians, Poles, Belarusians and others praying together, is what many pilgrims describe as the heart of Aglona. The 1993 visit of Pope John Paul II and the shrine's recognition by the Holy See set this local devotion within the wider Catholic world.

Founded as a Dominican monastery, church and school in the Latgale lakeland, gathered around a spring regarded as healing; from its earliest days a centre of Catholic worship and Marian devotion.

The first wooden church of 1699 later burned, and the present stone Baroque basilica was raised in 1768-1780 and consecrated in 1800. Over the following centuries the icon of Our Lady of Aglona and the Assumption pilgrimage made it the nation's principal Marian shrine. It was elevated to minor basilica in 1980, its grounds expanded and renovated from 1992, and confirmed in standing by Pope John Paul II's 1993 pilgrimage; it remains an active shrine and one of the Holy See's recognised international shrines.

Marian veneration before the icon, Masses, processions, confession and the rosary, together with the collection and use of water from the holy spring.

Daily Catholic worship continues throughout the year, with Marian feasts observed across the calendar. The defining event is the Assumption (15 August) pilgrimage, with all-night vigils, processions on the square and the unveiling of the miraculous icon, drawing tens of thousands of pilgrims from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus and beyond. Pilgrims commonly draw water from the holy spring.

If you come for the Assumption, prepare for an all-night vigil and large crowds, and treat the gathering as an act of shared prayer rather than a spectacle. For a contemplative visit, choose another time of year, pray before the icon when it is unveiled, and walk to the spring to draw water as generations of pilgrims have.

For most of the year Aglona is met as a quiet place. Visitors describe the white twin-towered Baroque basilica as serene and imposing, set behind its broad processional square in a lakeland landscape. Inside, the focus is the icon of Our Lady of Aglona, normally veiled; pilgrims pray before it, and many walk to the holy spring to draw water. A visit at an ordinary time invites contemplative prayer rather than crowds.

The Assumption pilgrimage transforms the place. On 15 August and its eve, the shrine becomes the site of an extraordinary mass devotional event: all-night vigils on the square, processions, and the unveiling of the miraculous icon for the gathered faithful. Pilgrims describe it as a powerful experience of shared Marian devotion that crosses national lines, drawing people from across the Baltic and Eastern Europe into a single act of prayer. Those seeking quiet should plan around the feast; those seeking the full devotional intensity of Aglona should come for it.

In the town of Aglona, Preili district, Latgale, southeastern Latvia. The basilica fronts a large processional square used for the Assumption gatherings. The venerated icon of Our Lady of Aglona is inside, normally veiled and unveiled only during religious celebrations. The holy spring of the founding Dominicans lies on the grounds; pilgrims draw water there. Modest dress is expected, as in any Catholic church.

Aglona is understood as Latvia's leading Catholic shrine, a fine work of Baroque sacred architecture, and a continuing focus of belief in the grace of its icon and spring.

Aglona is documented as Latvia's leading Catholic and Marian pilgrimage centre, a fine example of eighteenth-century Italian Baroque sacred architecture in Latgale, and one of the Holy See's recognised international shrines.

For Latvian and especially Latgalian Catholics, Aglona is a cornerstone of religious and cultural identity, and the Assumption pilgrimage is a defining annual event uniting the faithful across the Baltic and beyond.

Devotional belief continues to attribute healing grace to the holy spring and miraculous power to the icon of Our Lady of Aglona.

The full early history of the spring's reputed healing properties and the original provenance of the seventeenth-century miraculous icon are not fully documented. Reported pilgrim attendance figures (up to around 300,000) vary by year and source, some tying that figure to the 1993 papal visit, others to major Assumption gatherings generally.

By road from Daugavpils, Rezekne or Riga. The town of Aglona is built around the basilica, with a large processional square in front.

Aglona and the surrounding Latgale lakeland offer guesthouses and pilgrim lodging; demand is high around the Assumption, so book well ahead.

Dress modestly, keep silence during services, and be discreet around the icon and praying pilgrims.

Modest dress appropriate to a Catholic church: cover shoulders and knees, and remove hats inside.

Permitted in general areas, but refrain during liturgies and be discreet around praying pilgrims; observe any restrictions near the icon.

Candles, prayers and donations; many pilgrims collect holy spring water in containers to carry home.

Maintain silence and reverence during services and do not disturb worshippers, especially during the Assumption observances.

Continue through the atlas by country, tradition, site type, or a focused search that combines this place’s strongest context.

Sacred places within a half-day’s reach. Pilgrims often visit them together: walk one, stay for the other.

St Ludwig Catholic Church, Kraslava

Krāslava, Latvia

27.5 km away

Church of Our Miraculous Lady, Sarkani

Lendžu pagasts, Latvia

59.1 km away

Place of the Apparition of St. Mary at Lake Ilgis

Sviriškės, Utena County, Lithuania

68.2 km away

Church of Pasiene

Pasienes pagasts, Latvia

73.1 km away

Sources consulted when researching this page. Independent verification by readers is welcome.

1. 01Aglona Basilica — Latvia Travel (official tourism)high-reliability
2. 02Basilica of the Assumption, Aglona — Wikipedia contributors
3. 03Basilica of the Assumption, Aglona, Latvia — Catholic Shrine Basilica
4. 04Aglona Basilica — Lonely Planet
5. 05Aglona Roman Catholic Basilica — Latgale Tourism
6. 06Aglona Basilica — Go to Baltic
7. 07Aglona, Latvia: Basilica of the Assumption — The Catholic Travel Guide