The Church of Our Lady in Andoc received the rank of Basilica minor from Pope Francis. With this, Andocs ranked among the basilicas of Eger, Pannonhalm, Pécs, Székesfehérvár, Máriagyód, Máriapócs, Szent István in Budapest and Esztergom . This was reported by sonline.hu
We were the first in the Kaposvári Diocese to receive this title - Mayor Józsefné Werner reported on the unusual decision. – The condition of the honorary title is that the church has regional appeal. Andocs meets this requirement, because many pilgrims visit the settlement not only from Hungary, but also from abroad. In addition, it was also important to have at least one statue of grace in the church to which some kind of miracle can be attributed.
Due to the basilica minor rank, several innovations will be introduced in the Andocs basilica. The depiction of the two keys symbolizing the Holy See can then appear, for example, on the flag and the seal, and once a month a Latin Mass will also have to be held.
County Bishop László Varga will hand over the deed about the basilica minor on October 10, at the farewell of the Great Lady of the Hungarians.
"It is an honor to be the parish priest of the basilica," said parish priest Tamás Szalai . - I have been serving in the settlement for 13 years, but now everything is changing a little. Until now, the church in Andoc was very popular when the epidemic was not raging, more than twelve thousand pilgrims visited us every year. Visitors came not only from Hungary, but also from Austria, Germany and Poland .
Tamás Szalai emphasized that, in addition to the basilica, the church environment, which was renovated last year, captivates tourists. The Rosary Garden was decorated with dozens of white and red roses, commemorating the legend five hundred years ago, when two huge angels carried the chapel and the statue of the Virgin from Kalocsa to Andocs.
