Bavaria - Pfarr-und Wallfahrtskirche church  

Here in the distance, within sight of Oberaltaich church, is the hilltop Pilgrimage Church of Our Virgin Mary on Bogenberg Hill. As early as 1223 the town of Bogen's landmark, Bogenberg Hill, was called "Mountain of Our Virgin Mary". Making a pilgrimage to the "mountain" is definitely one of the oldest pilgrimages , perhaps even the oldest in Bavaria.

The counts of Bogen ruled this area until 1242 when the last count of Bogen died without an heir. The pilgrimage church Heilig Kreuz und Mariä Heimsuchung (Holy Cross and Visitation of Our Lady) on the summit of the Bogenberg about 120 m above the valley was built in 1446-1463 in Late Gothic style in place of an earlier Romanesque church. The interior decorations in Rococo style that were added in 1722-1730 were removed in 1876 and were replaced by Neo-Gothic decorations.

The climax of the pilgrimage year, however, is the great candle-carrying pilgrimage at Whitsun from Holzkirchen village to Bogen. It goes back to a vow which the farmers of Holzkirchen in Lower Bavaria made in the 15th century when their forests were being destroyed by the bark beetle. If the beetles would go away, then they vowed to carry a huge candle up the hillside. Since then, as the Virgin Mary had obviously helped them, 80 to 100 pilgrims march 75 kilometres every year from Holzkirchen to Bogen, carrying a huge candle. It consists of a 13 metre long wooden pole around which candle wax is wrapped in red rings. From the town square of Bogen the candle has to be carried up the hill in an upright position. Strong young men take turns to achieve this feat. They are very careful not to drop the candle, because this, according to a popular belief, would mean that disaster or war were coming. The candles of the last two years can always be admired on the right and the left of the altar in Bogenberg Church. Among the other yearly pilgrimages there is the one of The Virgin Marys Congregation of Men and the one of the World War II veterans.

I took this (fuzzy - sorry) picture to show where the rich people sat for mass. There are several private boxes that are reached through privite entrances to the church.

This is a good look inside the church showing the alter and the beautiful stained glass behind it.

In a room off to the left are candles that the faithful light.

According to the legend, the Romanesque stone sculpture of Our Lady was found floating upstream on the Danube in 1104. In 1295 the chronicle of Oberalteich monastery for the first time mentions the legend of how the miracle-working statue which is worshipped in Bogenberg Church was found. According to that legend the statue had been floating upstream in the Danube and had landed on a rock in the river, which appears when the water level is low. This rock is still called "Marienstein", i.e. Marys stone. Count Aswin of Bogen is said to have recovered the statue from the rock and to have taken it to the chapel of his castle. Then a church was built on Bogenberg Hill for the statue and the hill with the church was given to the monks of Oberalteich, who encouraged the pilgrimage to the miraculous statue. The statue shows Holy Mary heavy with child. It is also the reason why many of the pilgrims who came/come to Bogenberg were/are women praying for a good childbirth.

At the right the countryside expands out into very humid beyond. In the picture at the left the Danube splits into two arms that run parallel for a while. This shot is taken where the count who rescued the statue of Mary is supposed to have ridden his horse down when he saw the statue out in the river. Pretty steep. It is also the area they carry the candle up.

Here you see the two arms of the river (left) and below the hill Bogenville (right).

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Arrival Munich   Weidenhofen farm   Weidenhofen chapel   Straubing fair   Karl's farm   Walk to village   Oberaltaich church Danube   Pfarr-und Wallfahrtskirche church   Bavarian countryside   Munich I   Munich II   Munich III   Nymphenburg Palace I   Nymphenburg Palace II
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