The famous pilgrimage church of the Matera Božja (Mother of God) is positioned on the lower peak of Zaplaški hill northwest of Čatež. The path to the church starts in the village, where a stone portal with statues of Queen Mary and Joseph with child marks the start of the central pilgrimage area.
The church’s floor plan includes a rectangular nave with two side chapels, a flush presbytery and two bell towers set next to the front of the nave. The outside of the neo-Renaissance church is marked by division with pillars with ionic capitals and wreaths in profile, and highlighted rustic works penetrated by high semicircular windows. The main façade and the chapel façades with their triangular pediments and pillars were designed under the influence of antique temples and triumphal arches.
The inside of the church boasts a spacious, high nave covered by a coffered ceiling, which replaced the original one that was destroyed during World War I. The walls are decorated with pillars with geometrical capitals bearing semicircular belts. A true stone arch can only be seen in the presbytery, and that one is made in a cross variation. Painted glass windows made according to the design of B. Putrih in 1978 give a certain light accent. The main emphasis in the church radiates from the altars.
The church’s surroundings are directly linked to the church building itself, as they include the open space characteristic of pilgrimage churches – a grassy plateau surrounded by impressive trees, mainly lindens.
Some two hundred metres northwest of the church, St Mary’s creek springs from the midst of a forest. People refer to it as "žegnani" (blessed). Great healing power is attributed to its water, especially for any problems with the eyes.
Čatež pod Zaplazom is home to people who understand kindness and how to treat travellers and other visitors. People of Dolenjska, always honest and good-hearted, are used to greeting guests, tired travellers and pilgrims in Čatež.