THE VALLEY OF THE HOLY VIRGIN OF LOURDES

Besides its beautiful white horses that brought the renown of Lipica all over the world, there are, however, a number of attractions offered by this unique spot among which the Valley of the Holy Virgin of Lourdes must be mentioned in the first place.

In the period from1848 till 1875, the Stud farm's administrator was Karel Grunn, appointed by the Imperial Court of Vienna to which Lipica belonged up until the World War I. Seriously ill, he sought for a cure for his disease, and after long periods of stay in the valley he was finally restored to health. To show his gratitude, he ordered a chapel to be built in a natural stonewall of the valley with a statue of the Holy Virgin of Lourdes placed in it, transforming the valley in a small sanctuary.

There are many testimonies of visitors who beneficiated of the miraculous recovery. Among them, the most touching is the one experienced by Angelca Mezgec, born in 1904 in the village of Kovčice and blind from her birth. When at the age of four she visited the chapel for the first time, the Holy Virgin appeared to her and suddenly she recovered her sight. The immense gratitude she felt made her returning to the chapel on and again, till her death, which occurred in 1983.

In the years preceding World War II, the valley became a place of pilgrimage attracting pilgrims especially from the region of Trieste. Many of them used to bring gifts - objects that were lost later on.
Occasionally, high masses are being celebrated in the Valley, namely on the 15 August and 8 September.

The chapel and the entire valley were renewed and consecrated on 14 August 1993.