Medjugorje is a small town located in the herzegovina-neretva canton. This village, once a small agglomeration of houses, stands at the foot of two hills and from its location derives the name that means “between the mountains”.
Medjugorje is now known all over the world because, on June 24, 1981, a small group of young people declared that they periodically received the visit of the Virgin Mary.
There are several places to visit but the main ones are the Franciscan Church and Mount Podbrdo.
Franciscan Church of Jakov, or St. James, is located in the center of the city and inside there is the statue representing the Madonna that the visionaries tell to see in the apparitions. The light-colored construction is characterized by two large bell towers. Façade is very simple, with three entrances on which there are windows. In front of the Church there is a large churchyard, with simple flower beds inside one of which is the statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace. The work is a simple white marble statue housed inside a flower bed of roses.
Mount Podbrdo, also known as Monte dell’Apparizione, is a few kilometers from the village and can be reached via a path. During the journey to the top there are several images depicting some mysteries of the rosary. These are 15 bronze plates that narrate the mystery of Joy, Glory and Sorrow. Mount Podbrdo, a small barren and stony hill, is the lowest part of Mount Crnica where the visionaries lived at the time of the first apparitions of the Virgin.
Although the apparitions have not yet been recognized by the Church, they immediately attracted a large number of faithful, making the town of Medjugorje live a real economic boom. In a short time, many accommodation facilities were built to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims. It is estimated that more than a million people from all over the world come to Medjugorje every year.
