knock basilica

Knock Shrine attracts one and a half million pilgrims every year. Private pilgrimages take place all year with a special programme of ceremonies and devotions between April and October. Increasing numbers of pilgrims prompted the then Parish Priest, Monsignor James Horan to build the largest church in Ireland at Knock. In 1976 the Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland was opened here, with accommodation for over 12,000 people. The gable of the old church where the apparition took place in 1879 still remains the focal point of the shrine. In 1979 Pope John Paul visited here, and in 1993 Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a pilgrim. People came to pray and for spiritual reasons, but despite the serious purpose of their visits, the atmosphere at knock is a happy and a joyous one.