Podbrdo, the hill of the apparitions, is located above the hamlet of Podbrdo in Bijakovići, part of the Međugorje parish. A stone path with the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary leads to the site of the first apparitions. Across from the second Joyful Mystery stands a large cross, and the first message that the Virgin Mary spoke on the third day of the apparitions, June 26, 1981, was a message of peace.
After the fifth Joyful Mystery, the path to the right leads to the statue of the Virgin Mary, which was placed there in 2001. This is the site of the Virgin Mary’s apparitions starting on June 25, 1981. On that day, six young people—Vicka Ivanković, Marija Pavlović, Ivanka Ivanković, Mirjana Dragičević, Ivan Dragičević, and Jakov Čolo—saw the Virgin Mary. They prayed and conversed with her. Despite initial opposition from the Yugoslav communist regime, this place has since become a site of prayer and peace. Pilgrims from all over the world gather here to seek the intercession of the Queen of Peace.
