For a long time, even since the 16th century, the church has been the place of pilgrimage not only of the local population, but of the entire island. The church is related to a legend according to which the original church of St Mary from the 11th century was located at the site Goričica in the Baška valley, near the village Batomalj. Owing to pirate rampage, the angels took the statue of the Virgin Mary from the church to the top of the hill called Grad, where a new church of the Mother of God of Gorica was built in the 15th century. The church that we see today was restored in 1902, while a few decades before that, 237 votive stairs were built leading to the church.