Knock BasilicaKnock Shrine has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, for consistently receiving great reviews from visitors to the pilgrimage site.

The TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence accounts for the quality, quantity and frequency of reviews submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period. 

To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.

2016 has been a great year for Ireland’s National Marian Shrine, with numerous significant events taking place over the months, including the refurbishment and rededication of Our Lady’s Basilica and unveiling of a new mosaic, the first ever chartered pilgrimage from Boston to Knock in July, a visit of the relics of Saint Anthony of Padua, and the gathering of over 2,500 people for a Concert for Peace in commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising and the First World War. 1.5 million people visit Knock Shrine each year.

The Certificate of Excellence is the second award Knock Shrine has received this year as the Basilica was named Interior Architectural Project of the Year 2016 following the refurbishment which was completed this year.

Read below some reviews of Knock Shrine:
“An Experience of Calm & Peace, A Refreshing Escape from Today’s World. An entire day could easily be spent at this national shrine! The Basilica alone is beautiful beyond words…regardless of which side of the amazing altar you are on. Mass is said quite often in the chapel. Confession was offered they day we visited. ..The grounds are impeccable and display flowers with brilliant colour.”
“A Place of Prayer and Peace. I visited mid-week and there were very few people present. I visited the newly refurbished cathedral and the original old church, at the back of which the apparitions of Our Blessed Lady, St John and St Joseph took place in the 1870’s. The cathedral is now beautifully restored and was formally finished in July 2016. I had not been there for many years and I would recommend anyone who has never been there or who has not been there for years to include it when visiting the West.”
“Fascinating. We visited the shrine and old church, it is traditional for pilgrims to walk around the Church 3 times. Then we went to Mass in the basilica and it was moving to see people with disabilities and others praying for a cure. I hadn’t known that Mother Theresa had preached to fifty thousand people there. A historic and moving experience to see people devoted to their faith.”
 For more information on Knock Shrine, see www.knockshrine.ie