Maria Brünnlein

Maria Brünnlein, aerial photo (2016)

Maria Brünnlein with a view of the Ries

Pilgrimage Church of Maria Brünnlein

The pilgrimage basilica Maria Brünnlein is located in Wemding in the diocese of Eichstätt . In 1998 it received the title of Basilica minor from Pope John Paul II .

history

Around 1680 the Wemdingen shoemaker Franz Forell brought the miraculous image of Our Lady , which stands on the altar of grace, from Rome to Wemding. After the construction of an older chapel above the Schillerbrünnl in 1692, today's rococo church was built in the years 1748 to 1782 according to the plans of the building director of the Teutonic Order, Franz Joseph Roth , due to the growing number of pilgrims .

After three years of restoration, the basilica has been shining in new splendor since October 1st, 2003. According to a press release from the Eichstätt diocese, the work, which cost 4.5 million euros, was “urgently needed”: “Static defects and damage to the roof structure had cracked the vaults. Stucco ornaments had fallen off, valuable frescoes had come loose. Ceiling paintings were infested with fungus, side altars suffered from mold. "

On the pilgrimage Maria Brünnlein as a consolation , a figure of Mary carved out of wood has been venerated since the 17th century. Many pilgrims combine a visit to the pilgrimage church with a drink from the fountain of grace. Six prayer stones made in 1983 by Ernst Steinacker point the way to the church. In 2009, 15 steles of a new Way of the Cross were erected on the footpath from the parking lot to the main portal of the basilica ; the Jesuit brother and glass painter Michael Kampik (* 1948; † February 6, 2016) created it.

Furnishing

Choir room with basilica insignia

The altar of grace in Rococo style is provided with the image of grace and is also called a well or spring altar. It was built in 1756 by the sculptor Johann Joseph Meyer from Tyrol. In 1953 Ernst Steinacker added the substructure with a fountain bowl and volutes.
The rococo pulpit with the three divine virtues of faith, hope and love comes from F. Anton Anwander from Landsberg am Lech .
There are votive tablets as thanks for the answers to prayer.
A shrine of the Roman martyr Theodor Stratelates († 319) is located on the Barbara altar.
Figures of Saints Anna and Joachim stand at the side entrances .

Marian program

The pilgrimage church is decorated with a ceiling painting by Johann Baptist Zimmermann and his son Michael, which shows the Mother of God as a life-giving fountain. Twelve fountain medallions are grouped around the main fresco, symbolically referring to Mary. We find further symbols of Mary on the sides and in the entrance area of the church.

Symbols on the sides: