Pilgrimage sites Šumanovci and a tour of Drenovci and Rajevo Selo

The oldest pilgrimage site in Vukovar-Syrmia County, you will find spiritual refreshment in the pilgrimage site surrounded by forest.

We come to the pilgrimage site of the Mother of God of Good Hope – Šumanvci. The pilgrimage site is on the outskirts of Gunja – Drenovci – Đurići. It is the oldest pilgrimage site in the Vukovar-Syrmia County and dates from the 14th century. In 1373, the Counts of Alša built a Franciscan monastery on the site of today’s pilgrimage site. Mary gradually develops into a shrine. During the Ottoman era, the pilgrimage site was destroyed, after the rule of the Ottomans it became a pilgrimage site again. In 1822 a new church was built in Šumanovci, in which the statue of the Assumption of Mary is exhibited. Today it is visited in large numbers on various occasions throughout the year, especially on the feasts of the Assumption.

The path continues to Drenovci, just a few minutes’ drive from the pilgrimage site. Accompanied by a local guide, we will visit the Cvelferija Museum, learn about the history of Đuka Galović – folk musician and poet and the house where he was born, and Franjo Hanaman – chemist, metallurgist and inventor, the Church of St. Mihaela Arkanđela, the town hall, the library …

The continuation of the journey takes us to Rajevo Selo, only approx. 12 minutes by car from Drenovac. The village itself is right on the Sava River near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Rajevo Selo has a Catholic (St. Elijah the Prophet), a Greek Catholic (Parish of St. Josaphat) and an Orthodox (Church of St. Procopius) church. A small rural community with harmonious religious coexistence, definitely worth seeing.

In the late afternoon we leave this idyllic area full of impressions, situated between the Sava, fertile fields and forests.