Maria Zell
The pilgrimage church Maria Zell near Hechingen (district Boll ) in the Zollernalb district is located directly on the steep drop of the Swabian Alb below the Zeller Horn with a view of Hohenzollern Castle and dates back to the Zell settlement, which was abandoned in the 15th century . This settlement probably developed from a monk cell of the St. Gallen monastery . In 789, this monastery was given a farm “on the slope” of a high mountain near Hechingen. The cell became a settlement of Zell with a local nobility of the lords of Zell, a castle, the former castle of Zell , and a parish church of St. Gallus .
The lords of Zell were the ancestors of the famous noble family von Stauffenberg . Long before the Zollern counts took possession of the mountain, the land around the Zollerberg was the property of the Lords of Zell. It is believed that Zell was the original name of the Stauffenberger. Since the Stauffenbergers held the hereditary gift office with the Count of Zollern, Schenk became part of their surname.
A legend, which is depicted in the library of Hohenzollern Castle, tells that the Mariazell church was moved to Boll. However, angels would have carried the church back to its original location overnight.
In 1633, during the Thirty Years' War , when Hohenzollern Castle was besieged, the chapel burned down. Another legend reports that the miraculous image of St. Mary was saved in a miraculous way. A soldier who threw the picture into the flames died that same day. Its importance as a place of pilgrimage and pilgrimage is based on these legends .
The church was rebuilt soon after the fire and consecrated as the parish church of Boll in 1655. In 1757 it was expanded and rebuilt on the walls of the previous Gothic building.
The beehive bell from the 12th century hanging in the roof turret of the church is probably the oldest bell in the Baden-Hohenzollern area. It weighs around 110 kg and has the striking note f sharp.
On the night of November 16-17, 1911, the church was badly damaged by a severe earthquake. The renovation was carried out by the municipality of Boll from its own funds over a three-year construction period.
The painter August Pfister from Gruol near Haigerloch was commissioned to repaint the ceiling paintings in the nave ( Assumption of Mary ) and in the choir ( Annunciation ). The third picture ( Mary as the intercessor of the poor souls ) was not completed until 1919 because of the First World War. In 1943 the church was damaged by an earthquake, and on January 22nd, 1970 again. The restoration work dragged on over four years. On Sunday, September 3, 1978 a strong earthquake (magnitude 6) shook the area and severely damaged the choir and roof.
In 2001 a Way of the Cross was built along the ascent to the church .
Choir, seen from the gallery
Choir, seen from below
Side window on the cemetery side
Detail of a side window
Round window in the back of the church
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 19 ′ 3 ″ N , 8 ° 58 ′ 49 ″ E