Mariazell

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Mariazell Mariazöö
Municipality
The Mariazell Basilica
Coat of arms
Mariazell Location within Austria
Coordinates: 47°46′23″N 15°18′59″E / 47.77306°N 15.31639°E / 47.77306; 15.31639
Country	Austria
State	Styria
District	Bruck-Mürzzuschlag
Government
• Mayor	Walter Schweighofer (ÖVP)
Area [1]
• Total	414.09 km2 (159.88 sq mi)
Elevation	868 m (2,848 ft)
Population  (2018-01-01)[2]
• Total	3,813
• Density	9.2/km2 (24/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	8630
Area code	03882
Vehicle registration	BM
Website	www.stadt-mariazell.at

Mariazell (Central Bavarian: Mariazöö) is an Austrian city in the southeastern state of Styria. Well known for being a hub of winter sports and a pilgrimage destination, it is located 143 kilometres (89 miles) north of Graz. It is picturesquely situated in the valley of the Salza, amid the north Styrian Alps.

It is a site of pilgrimage for Catholics from Austria and neighboring countries. The object of veneration is an image of the Virgin Mary reputed to work miracles, carved in lime-tree wood. This was brought to the place in 1157, and is now enshrined in a chapel adorned with objects of silver and other costly materials. The large church of which the chapel forms part was erected in 1644 as an expansion of a smaller church built by Louis I, King of Hungary, after a victory over the Ottoman Empire in 1363.