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Renowned pilgrimage sites on this tour
Wieskirche:
Church in the Meadow
(Pilgrimage Church of the Scourged Savior)
The church became a place of pilgrimage when tears were seen on the dilapidated wooden statue of the Scourged Savior on June 14, 1738. As word spread, that people were cured after praying to the statue of Jesus the number of pilgrims increased and the original chapel become way to small. So the nearby Steingaden Abbey commissioned the building of the magnificent Rococo church you see today.
This pilgrimage church continues to be a place of prayer and worship, and is simultaneously a magical drawing point for millions of visitors from all over the world.
The Church was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
Church in the Meadow
(Pilgrimage Church of the Scourged Savior)
The church became a place of pilgrimage when tears were seen on the dilapidated wooden statue of the Scourged Savior on June 14, 1738. As word spread, that people were cured after praying to the statue of Jesus the number of pilgrims increased and the original chapel become way to small. So the nearby Steingaden Abbey commissioned the building of the magnificent Rococo church you see today.
This pilgrimage church continues to be a place of prayer and worship, and is simultaneously a magical drawing point for millions of visitors from all over the world.
The Church was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
Maria Plain, Austria:
Shrine of our Lady of Maria Plain
The year is 1633, at the time of the 30 Years War the city of Regen in Bavaria was heavily burnt, except for the picture of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus which escaped the destructive fire almost completely undamaged.
The painting was moved in 1652 to a small hilltop chapel close to Salzburg, Austria, The current Minor Basilika with the painting adorning the high altar was completed in 1674.
The Archbishop Andreas Jakob Graf Dietrichstein crowned the miraculous image in 1751.
To celebrate the anniversary of this event Mozart composed his Coronation Mass (1779).
Pope John Paul II visited Maria Plain and prayed before the image of the Virgin in 1983. The historic pilgrimage from the city of Salzburg proceeds by 15 stations each depicting one of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
Shrine of our Lady of Maria Plain
The year is 1633, at the time of the 30 Years War the city of Regen in Bavaria was heavily burnt, except for the picture of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus which escaped the destructive fire almost completely undamaged.
The painting was moved in 1652 to a small hilltop chapel close to Salzburg, Austria, The current Minor Basilika with the painting adorning the high altar was completed in 1674.
The Archbishop Andreas Jakob Graf Dietrichstein crowned the miraculous image in 1751.
To celebrate the anniversary of this event Mozart composed his Coronation Mass (1779).
Pope John Paul II visited Maria Plain and prayed before the image of the Virgin in 1983. The historic pilgrimage from the city of Salzburg proceeds by 15 stations each depicting one of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
St Bartholomä, Königssee:
St. Bartholomew chapel
The history of the church goes back to the 12th century and is in it’s current baroque style since the 16th century. St. Bartholomew is the protector of alpine farmers, hunters and the local milkmaids. The once a year pilgrimage to the church with up to 2000 participants starts in Maria Alm and after a strenuous 32 kilometer (approximately 20 miles) hike over the mountains reaches the chapel 10 hours later. This oldest European alpine pilgrimage dates back to 1635 when the pestilence ravaged the area. While crossing the lake on a raft during the pilgrimage on August 23. 1688, 70 of the participants drowned in the lake. In the 1920’s the World Wars and the political crisis of the time caused the suspension of the annual journey to the church. In 1951 the pilgrimage across the mountains was initiated and concludes each year with the hanging of a wreath by the cross commemorating the accident on the lake over 300 years ago.
St. Bartholomew chapel
The history of the church goes back to the 12th century and is in it’s current baroque style since the 16th century. St. Bartholomew is the protector of alpine farmers, hunters and the local milkmaids. The once a year pilgrimage to the church with up to 2000 participants starts in Maria Alm and after a strenuous 32 kilometer (approximately 20 miles) hike over the mountains reaches the chapel 10 hours later. This oldest European alpine pilgrimage dates back to 1635 when the pestilence ravaged the area. While crossing the lake on a raft during the pilgrimage on August 23. 1688, 70 of the participants drowned in the lake. In the 1920’s the World Wars and the political crisis of the time caused the suspension of the annual journey to the church. In 1951 the pilgrimage across the mountains was initiated and concludes each year with the hanging of a wreath by the cross commemorating the accident on the lake over 300 years ago.
Altoetting:
The Black Madonna of Altoetting
The statue of the blessed virgin is credited with numerous miracles dating back to 1489.
If early records would have been kept it would prove that over the centuries Altoetting was frequented more often by pilgrims than any other shrine in the world and is by many considered the Lourdes of Bavaria.
The shrine is now under the auspices of the Capuchin monks. One will also find the Reliquium Shrine of one of their most famous brothers: Holy Brother Konrad (made a saint by Pope Pius XI in 1934) there at the Church of Saint Konrad.
The Black Madonna of Altoetting
The statue of the blessed virgin is credited with numerous miracles dating back to 1489.
If early records would have been kept it would prove that over the centuries Altoetting was frequented more often by pilgrims than any other shrine in the world and is by many considered the Lourdes of Bavaria.
The shrine is now under the auspices of the Capuchin monks. One will also find the Reliquium Shrine of one of their most famous brothers: Holy Brother Konrad (made a saint by Pope Pius XI in 1934) there at the Church of Saint Konrad.
Vierzehnheiligen:
Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
Build on the site of a vision in 1445 of the 14 Nothelfer (helpers in distressed times)
The 14 Saints represented in the altar are:
Achatius (or Acacius), martyr, invoked against headache
Barbara, virgin and martyr, invoked against fever and sudden death
Blaise (also Blase and Blasius), bishop and martyr, invoked against illness of the throat
Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr, invoked against sudden death
Christopher (Christophorus), martyr, invoked against bubonic plague
Cyriacus (Cyriac), deacon and martyr, invoked against temptation on the death-bed
Denis (Dionysius), bishop and martyr, invoked against headache
Erasmus (Elmo), bishop and martyr, invoked against intestinal ailments
Eustachius (Eustace, Eustathius), martyr, invoked against family discord
George, soldier-martyr, for the health of domestic animals
Giles (Aegidius), hermit and abbot, invoked against plague, for a good confession
Margaret of Antioch, virgin and martyr, invoked in childbirth
Pantaleon, bishop and martyr, for physicians
Vitus (also known as Saint Guy), martyr, invoked against epilepsy
The beautiful Basilica is a major pilgrimage site with about a half a million visitors annually.
Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
Build on the site of a vision in 1445 of the 14 Nothelfer (helpers in distressed times)
The 14 Saints represented in the altar are:
Achatius (or Acacius), martyr, invoked against headache
Barbara, virgin and martyr, invoked against fever and sudden death
Blaise (also Blase and Blasius), bishop and martyr, invoked against illness of the throat
Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr, invoked against sudden death
Christopher (Christophorus), martyr, invoked against bubonic plague
Cyriacus (Cyriac), deacon and martyr, invoked against temptation on the death-
Erasmus (Elmo), bishop and martyr, invoked against intestinal ailments
Eustachius (Eustace, Eustathius), martyr, invoked against family discord
George, soldier-
Margaret of Antioch, virgin and martyr, invoked in childbirth
Pantaleon, bishop and martyr, for physicians
Vitus (also known as Saint Guy), martyr, invoked against epilepsy
The beautiful Basilica is a major pilgrimage site with about a half a million visitors annually.