111 Pilgrimage Chapel St. Mary Etzelsbach near Steinbach

111 Pilgrimage Chapel St. Mary Etzelsbach near Steinbach

Located in the Eichsfeld region, 10 km from Heilbad Heiligenstadt, the Marian pilgrimage site Etzelsbach can be found.

In the middle of a wide meadow valley, you can see a small linden grove with a tower spire rising above it.

This spire belongs to the chapel, which was built in 1897/1898 in a neo-Gothic brick style.

Only a few remnants of the original furnishings have been preserved.

The chapel is adorned with beautiful paintings and stained glass windows.

The chapel is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Pilgrims come to view a venerated image, a Pietà from the 17th century, depicting the sorrowful Virgin Mary.

According to church tradition, a farmer found this image while plowing.

The chapel has had several predecessor buildings, though the exact number is unknown.

Pilgrimages to the site are believed to have existed even before the Thirty Years‘ War.

The most popular pilgrimage is the Horse Pilgrimage, which takes place on the second Sunday after the Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary.

Around 300 festively adorned horses participate in this event.

Horses have been brought to the pilgrimage site since around 1625, surviving a horse epidemic afterward.

A special highlight in recent history was the visit of Pope Benedict XVI.

In September 2011, he held a Marian Vespers service in front of the chapel.

Further Information:

Catholic Parish Office Steinbach
Dorfstraße 32
37308 Steinbach
Tel.: +49 36085 / 4 03 05
Fax: +49 36085 / 45 99 11