The Day of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows is an official public holiday in Slovakia. Slovaks celebrate this day on September 15, starting in 1966, when Pope Paul VI officially announced that the Virgin Mary is the patron saint of Slovakia.
On this day, festive masses are held in all Catholic churches of the country, and religious processions are also organized in the largest centers of the country (the city of Bratislava, Kosice and etc.).
Most pilgrims on this day gather in the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava. They come here not only from different Slovak cities, but also from other countries in Europe and the world. Most of them spend this day in prayer.
In addition to the daytime mass, many churches also hold night masses.
