This postcard dating back to 1911 shows a unique view of the basilica in Šaštín, in the western region of Záhorie. The basilica is shown from the back, rather than the front. On the left is an inn with a notice board that identifies it as a Vendéglő – Hostinec – Gasthaus. During the monarchy, every sign was required to be trilingual.
Šaštín frequently received pilgrims, and the inn's owner, Josef Marlep, made a fortune from them. However, only a few of the pilgrims were lucky enough to be put up at the inn. Most of them spent the night under the open sky and some slept in the basilica itself.
The two-tower basilica is dedicated to Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, who is also the patron of Slovakia. Construction started in 1736 and was completed and consecrated in 1764, with Empress Maria Theresa and Francis of Lorraine in attendance.
In 1960, Šaštín merged with the neighbouring village of Stráže nad Myjavou and is now called Šaštín-Stráže. It lies along the Myjava river, and is one of the oldest settlements in the Záhorie region. Indeed, it still retains the memory of those multi-lingual days, called Sasvár-Morvaőr in Hungarian, Schoßberg-Strascha in German, and even Şaşvar in Turkish, reflecting the time of the Ottoman wars.
To this day, the basilica still attracts believers who travel to the national shrine. Pope John Paul II visited the site in 1995 and Pope Francis in 2021.
This article was first published by The Slovak Spectator June 30, 2008. It has been updated to be relevant today.