Pilgrimage Chapel of Maria, Mother of Europe

Pilgrimage Chapel of Maria, Mother of Europe

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The Catholic pilgrimage chapel Maria, Mother of Europe is a church building in Gnadenweiler on the Großer Heuberg , above Bärenthal , a municipality in the Tuttlingen district ( Baden-Württemberg ).

History and architecture

Mary, mother of Europe, late Baroque figure of Mary

The origin of the pilgrimage site and the chapel is largely due to the initiative of the Beuron monk and long-time pastor of Bärenthal, Father Notker Hiegl OSB. On June 9th 2007 the chapel was opened by Bishop em. Viktor Josef Dammertz OSB of Augsburg will be consecrated. The copper rainbow roof is supported by twelve beams, which are intended to indicate the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. The roof is a work by the Stöhr workshop in Meßkirch, it is twelve meters wide. Instead of a point, the tower carries a hand in a gesture of blessing .

The building itself symbolizes Noah's Ark and is accessed via three large wooden stairs.

Furnishing

The baroque statue of Our Lady is about 125 cm high and comes from Switzerland. The work from around 1750 is originally preserved in form and setting. The face of Mary is supposed to show her virginity, the baby Jesus sits in a majestic pose as a lord on his mother's left arm.
The body of the crucified Jesus is larger than life, it was made between 1895 and 1900 by the Marmon art workshop in Sigmaringen. This glued different pieces of wood together and lightly carved the body. The original square timbers can still be seen in the loincloth on both sides. The body was stored in an attic for many years, and the artist Helmut Lutz then worked on it. The square timber on the right side was carved into a pocket. Lutz added metal arms to the torso; they contain animals and plants such as a grass snake, a bird or a mouse. The nails in the hands are shown as silver thistles.
The statue of Our Lady was blessed on December 24, 2006 by Walter Cardinal Kasper .
The altar in the form of a ship's bow was carved out of Bärenthal tuff by Willi Bucher. The relic of the Blessed Cross Sister Ulrike Nisch , a velvet bag containing parcels of earth from all places with the name Bärenthal, and a certificate are walled in in an opening on the front side . The leg relic is in a capsule lined with white sand, it is surrounded by seven amber stones.
The picture on the ceiling shows the hands of God the Father, from which a dove is flying away.
The tabernacle was made in 1956 by Brother Paulin Cordell OSB, a goldsmith of the Beuron Archabbey, the designs come from Ansgar Dreher. The door shows a large rock crystal from which beams of rays emanate. In 2007 the door was raised by a plaque with a red frame, which is embossed with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday motifs.