Brezje is a small village in Northern Slovenia. In the 18th Century, the Pastor of the Parish church there, Father Azbe, built a chapel onto the Parish church dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians. Within the chapel, he placed a painting which he brought with him from Innsbruck. The shrine became quite popular with people from the surrounding villages. Eventually, the picture and the entire chapel were beautifully repainted by Leopold Layer in 1814. Reports of miraculous healings have been reported at the chapel, and it has become a national pilgrimage centre of the country.
Slovenian Chapel of Marija Pomagaj
This chapel is a link between Marian Valley in Queensland and the town of Brezje, located in a beautiful valley near the charming village of Bled, which snuggles beneath the Slovenian Alps.
The shrine at Brezje is dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians and is popularly known as Marja Pomagaj (Mary, help me) of Brezje.
The heart of the basilica at Brezje is the picture of Our Lady. The present miraculous image came into being when a Slovenian artist named Leopold Layer, languishing in prison in 1809 during the French occupation, promised to paint a new picture of Marija Pomagaj if he would regain his freedom.
After this vow, he was released from jail and painted in oil a new image of Our Lady, which is now the object of intense Marian devotion by Slovenians. Pope John Paul II visited the Basilica Marija Pomagaj on Mary 17, 1996.