Pilgrimage church Maria Schnee on the Hochalm

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Pilgrimage church Maria Schnee on the Hochalm 2004

The Roman Catholic pilgrimage church Maria Schnee on the Hochalm stands at 1822  m above sea level. A. in the Seckau Alps in Styria . It is the highest pilgrimage church in the Eastern Alps.

Pilgrimage church Maria Schnee on the Hochalm, from the south
Maria with child - Hochalm mother , pilgrimage church Maria Schnee on the Hochalm
Maria with child, enamel picture by Br. Bernward Schmid OSB, above an entrance gate

The church was built on the initiative of the Seckau monastery dean Paul Auer for the shepherds and dairymen as a "comfort of soul" and was consecrated to St. Jerome (cattle patron) on July 2, 1660 ; at first the church was called S. Hieronymus Kirchlein auf der Alm .

The veneration of Mary began on the Hochalm at the beginning of the 18th century. In the summer months there is a statue in the church, the High Alm Mother of God .

After the abolition of the Seckau monastery in 1782, the name Maria Schnee became naturalized on the Hochalm , which is still used today. The term refers to the founding legend of the Roman basilica Santa Maria Maggiore , according to which fresh snow is said to have indicated the place of the church building on the Esquiline hill in Rome in the year 358 .

Archduke Johann visited the Hochalm in 1810 and 1825 and found the church in a miserable condition.

15,000 people made a pilgrimage to the Hochalm for the 200-year anniversary celebration in 1860 with the pastor Adalbert Janisch. Pope Pius IX at that time granted all high alpine pilgrims a complete indulgence .

The construction of the tower and the restoration work began on June 13, 1904, and the work could be completed by the patronage festival.

For the 300th anniversary, the little church was opened under the direction of P. Desiderius and Peter Feldbaumer vlg. Reibenbaum renovated.

Thousands of pilgrims are still making pilgrimages to the Hochalm, where pilgrimage services are celebrated annually on the first Sunday in July and August, Annatag (July 26th) and August 5th (patronage of Maria Schnee). During the Corpus Christi procession , the statue of the Hochalm mother is adorned with flowers and carried through the town of Seckau. In the winter months the statue is kept at the Kühbergerhof.

and display information about the image
Panoramic picture of the Seckauer Tauern from the Seckauer Zinken (left) to the Hochalm (pilgrimage church Maria Schnee); Seckau below right

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Commons : Maria Schnee pilgrimage church on the Hochalm  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 47 ° 19 ′ 18.2 ″  N , 14 ° 48 ′ 10.9 ″  E