Purburg Hill, overlooking Graz, has been a pilgrimage center since 1676, when word spread that the daughter of Johann Maximilian von Wilferstorff prayed successfully for healing before a Madonna in the family's castle chapel. In 1695, the standing Gothic statue of 1465 was remodeled in Baroque style. Emperor Charles VI placed the first stone of the Church of Our Lady of Consolation September 18, 1714. Declared a Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II, Mariatrost celebrates its patronal feast on September 8, the Nativity of the Virgin. (Picture from the Basilica's site, www.pfarre-mariatrost.at.)