Međugorje is the largest tourist and pilgrimage site in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is often compared to Lourdes and Fatima as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all around the world visit it every year, which makes it an important centre of the Roman Catholic faith in this part of Europe. On 24 June 1981, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to six children and the seers have ever since continued to convey the message of peace, love, faith, fasting, prayer and conversion. In Međugorje, you can visit the parochial Church of St Jacob, located in the centre of the town, the Hill of Apparition in Bijakovići – the place where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared for the first time, the Hill of the Cross, where a huge cross was erected in 1934, St Francis’ Garden, Mother’s Village and Cenacolo Community. Međugorje stands as a witness of the power of prayer that can change the people and the world. Mladifest (International Youth Festival Međugorje), which was organised for the first time in 1989, is an annual youth prayer meeting, held every summer in Međugorje. It is an international, multi-day gathering of Catholic youth that brings together tens of thousands of visitors each year in pursuit of spiritual renewal.
