This monumental wood carving measuring 8.5 m x 2.5 m x 3 m, depicting the Nativity as well as the history of the Slovak people and images of Slovak life, took master wood carver Jozef Pekara 15 years to complete. You will find nearly 300 figures here, half of which are moving. You might find a bit of your own home as well, as this Bethlehem really captures the whole of Slovakia. Rajecká Lesná is also a popular Marian pilgrimage site, with large numbers of worshippers flocking here every year to visit the Basilica Minor and its statue of the Virgin of Mercy (1498). Here you can refresh yourself with medicinal water rich in magnesium and calcium in what is known as the Lourdes Chapel and view the 14 chapels (Stations of the Cross) of the Calvary. The Calvary was built in 1920-21 from donations made by Frivald natives living in America who had fled from World War I.
Did you know?
There is a legend associated with the water spring at the Lourdes Chapel about a beggarwoman who came to the Calvary one Maundy Thursday. She was blind, but when she rubbed her eyes with the spring water, calling on the Virgin Mary for help, her eyesight was restored. There are many plaquettes inside the Lourdes Chapel left by grateful worshippers as thanks for healing and for answering their prayers.
Contact:
Slovak wooden Bethlehem, Rajecká Lesná
Tel.: +421 41/548 81 34
E-mail: betlehem@rajeckalesna.org,
Web page: www.betlehem.rajeckalesna.org
