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Pilgrimage in Franconia

In the Middle Ages, pilgrims began to travel to the sacred places of Christianity: Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela. These pilgrimages were dangerous and often lasted a lifetime. In the late Middle Ages, much easier-to-reach regional sites of pilgrimage began to flourish: sacred places closer to home.

The doubts and fights of the Reformation era brought many of these pilgrimages to a temporary halt. Especially in Franconia, however, the catholic Counter-Reformation revived pilgrimage; old sites flourished again, and new ones came into being. The extroverted piety of the baroque era found its expression in new sacred places and pilgrimages. Today, there are about 150 pilgrimage sites in the Bishopric of Würzburg.

Dettelbach is a very popular site. Legend has it that in 1504 a heavily injured man walked a long way to light a candle at a piety column in Dettelbach’s vineyards, in honour of the Mother of God. The man was miraculously healed, and countless people flocked to this piety column. Soon a small chapel was built.

The present pilgrimage church, constructed by order of Würzburg’s Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn, dates from 1613. In the baroque era, up to 10,000 Masses were said there every year. And even today, “St. Mary’s in the Sand” attracts processions of pilgrims from lots of places, including Rödelsee.

Franconia’s most important site of pilgrimage is Kreuzberg, one of the Rhön hills. Julius Echter had a crucifixion group erected on this hill at the border of the Bishoprics of Würzburg and Fulda in 1582. Supposedly to reIn the 17th century, a church and a Franciscan monastery were built on the hill, attracting lots of pilgrims to this day. Since 1647, Würzburg Catholics have walked to Kreuzberg and back place the original cross, put up as early as 686 by the founders of his bishopric: Kilian, Kolonat and Totnan.

In the 17th century, a church and a Franciscan monastery were built on the hill, attracting lots of pilgrims to this day. Since 1647, Würzburg Catholics have walked to Kreuzberg and back every year – 180 kilometres altogether! About 500 people usually participate in these processions.

And for many years, Schwanberg has been the destination of an Ecumenical Pilgrimage, taking place on the last weekend in September. Hundreds of pilgrims start from different points in the region and meet at the hilltop church. The meeting concludes with a benediction for the pilgrims, the Franconian land and its people.

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