Mariastern Abbey stands at Delibašino Selo near Banja Luka, beside the Vrbas River, a site chosen for its waterpower. Franz Pfanner, a Trappist, bought about 100 acres of land on June 10, 1869, and made the monastery's plans himself. The Trappists arrived on June 21, 1869, and moved into the new monastery on December 24, 1870. The church was completed in 1873, and Mariastern became an abbey in 1886.
The complex included a hospital, an orphanage, a school, a printing press, a textile factory, a brewery and a power plant. At the start of the twentieth century it had 219 monks, the largest Trappist abbey in the world.
An earthquake on October 27, 1969 destroyed the monastery buildings and partly damaged the church. The church became a National Monument in 2004. Today it has two monks.
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