Church of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows in Vysoká nad Uhom

Information about the pilgrimage site

Vysoká nad Uhom is the youngest pilgrimage site in Slovakia (since 2018) and is closely linked to the life and death of the now blessed Anka Kolesárová. This young girl died a violent death in 1944 for the ideal of purity. When a young soldier of the Soviet army, under the influence of alcohol, saw the young Anna, only 16 years old, he wanted to seize her. But she disagreed and fled from him to the cellar. The soldier went after her and shot her with two shots. With this decision, the young Anna Kolesárová left a strong legacy. These events are recorded in the parish chronicle and five witnesses signed the testimony.

The peculiarity of this place of pilgrimage lies in the circumstances of its creation: at first, young people in particular began to come here spontaneously, and over time, at their instigation, a regular spiritual programme began to develop. Initially, they met in the local school. As the number of pilgrims grew, a small house was bought for this purpose and turned into a pastoral centre. The building houses, among other things, a chapel, accommodation, a common room and a lecture room. Due to the increasing number of pilgrims, this centre is already small, so the construction of a new centre is currently underway, with an expanded capacity of conference and social areas, a chapel and accommodation for pilgrims.

Today, the pilgrimage site is visited not only by believers from the surrounding area but also by pilgrims from all over Slovakia. Throughout the year, a spiritual programme is prepared for pilgrims of all ages. More about the current programme on the website of the pilgrimage site.

Tourist attractions in the vicinity

Latorica Protected Landscape Area – located at the main course of the Latorica River and the Laborec and Ondava Rivers, it is one of the largest areas of this kind in Slovakia. The area has the character of floodplain forests, water and swamp communities and sand dunes. Almost the entire area is made up of a network of living and dead river arms. There are extremely rare and diverse aquatic and swamp plant communities. The area is also richly represented by animal communities – especially waterfowl from more distant geographical areas. The Tajba National Nature Reserve (dead arm of the Bodrog River) is also part of this protected area. It is unique for the occurrence of the rare Marsh Turtle (Emys orbicularis), which breeds here naturally and this area is one of the last refuges for it.

Tokaj wine region – although this area is about 60 kilometres away from Vysoká nad Uh, it is definitely worth a visit. It is unique thanks to the cultivation and production of Tokaj wine. Although the Tokaj wine-growing region is one of the smallest in Slovakia and in the world in general, it has an important position. It is one of the few areas in the world where grapes can be grown to produce naturally sweet wines. The Tokaj Wine Route includes Tokaj villages, wine growers and producers, cultural and historical monuments, wine shops, wineries and tourist service providers. Tourists can arrange wine tasting, cellar tours or refreshments. Of course, they can take away the most precious souvenir: Tokaj wine.

Senianske rybníky – in the village of Senné there are ponds, which are among the most important ornithological sites in Central Europe. More and more ornithologists come to this site not only from Slovakia, but also from Europe because of the richness of bird species – so far up to 145 bird species have been recorded. Nature lovers have the opportunity to observe birds but also to enjoy sport and recreational fishing in the ponds.

Wooden churches – there are unique sacral buildings in Slovakia that have an extraordinary global value – wooden churches. Currently, there are about 50 wooden churches preserved in Slovakia, 8 of them are also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are original in their construction technology: the building is made entirely of wood, with no metal nails used. There have been more than 300 such wooden churches in Slovakia. Interestingly, their architecture blends elements of Western culture (especially Roman) and Eastern Byzantine culture. Near Klokočov there is one of the wooden churches in the village of Ruská Bystrá – it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its interior is decorated with a rare unique icon of the Crucifixion. Another wooden church in the village of Inovce has been declared a National Cultural Monument.

Zemplínska Šírava – with an area of 33 km² it is the second largest body of water in Slovakia. The nickname “Slovak Sea” was coined during the communist period in the second half of the 1970s, when Zemplínska Šírava was a popular summer holiday resort of the entire “Eastern Bloc”, when the number of visitors exceeded one million annually. The area has a large number of tropical days and nights, making it one of the warmest areas in Slovakia. In the vicinity of the reservoir there are several recreational centres offering accommodation, catering services as well as various water attractions and wellness (e.g. Thermalpark Šírava with many attractions). Zemplínská Šírava is also home to a large number of protected species of water birds, fish and flora.

More tourist attractions in the vicinity of the pilgrimage site in Vysoká nad Uhom can be found on the website:

• Regional Tourism Organization (https://www.kosiceregion.com/en/).

Regional Tourism Organisation Dolný Zemplín (https://www.dolnyzemplin.sk/?language=EN)