Živčáková is the place of the apparition of the Virgin Mary. This was supposed to happen on June 1, 1958 when the gamekeeper Matúš Lašut from Turzovka was walking through the forest and saw the silhouette of a woman resembling the pictures of the Virgin Mary of Lourdes. The rumour of the apparition quickly spread around, and people began flooding to the place to pray at the picture of Virgin Mary, later at an altar.

Below the peak of Živčáková, there are several mountain springs of water that has beneficial effects on the human body and soul. Pilgrims believe in the miraculous healing power of the water, which is also evidenced by gratitude plates placed on the walls of the Chapel of Our Lady, Queen of Peace, which was built in 1993 at the initiative of the then administrator of the Turzovka parish Ivan Mahrík. At that time, Korňa was a branch of the Turzovka parish. Only later did it become an independent parish.

The chapel built in the middle of the forest near the healing springs has a simple regular shape and its glass facade allows pilgrims to have direct visual contact with the sanctuary. On the wall above the sacrificial table, there is a large wooden cross and a statue of the Virgin Mary with a gracious image of the Virgin Mary. The picture is accompanied by a legend saying that it did not burn even when it was deliberately set on fire by the haters of the pilgrimage site. Only the edges were burnt, but the figure of the Mother of God remained intact. This can be a proof that there is something between heaven and earth after all...

The capacity of the chapel of the Virgin Mary was insufficient due to the increase in the number of visitors to Živčáková, so the idea of building a church came up. The year 2008 was crucial, as Živčaková was declared a Marian pilgrimage site. In September of the same year, the bishop of the newly formed Žilina diocese Tomáš Galis authorized the construction of the two objects – the Church of Our Lady, Mother of the Church and the exercise-pastoral facility. The foundation stone was ceremonially sanctified, and the building could start. The project was designed by the architect Marián Goč. The building management, preparatory work and construction supervision was performed by the administrator of the Korňa parish, dean Ivan Mahrík.

Seven years passed since the beginning of construction when finally, on October 4, 2015, the Church of Our Lady, Mother of the Church was ceremoniously consecrated by the Žilina diocesan bishop Tomáš Galis. The truly remarkable mosaic painting on the altar wall of the church is a creation of the professor Ivan Marko Rupník in cooperation the Aletti Center in Rome. The main pilgrimages take place every year in spring and autumn. The viewing terrace on the church tower provides an interesting and unusual view of the wonderful natural scenery of Kysuce.

The Marian pilgrimage site Živčáková with the new Church of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, as well as a chapel built in the 1990s and several rich healing springs is one of the most sought-after destinations in Kysuce and the entire Žilina region.

autor: OCR Kysuce