The veneration of Mary has been deeply rooted in popular belief for over 500 years. The oldest documented evidence is the 1420-1440 altarpiece in the parish church of Mary’s Assumption (“Maria Himmelfahrt”), the centrepiece of which is a Pietà. The oldest place of worship outside the parish church is the nearby “Marienbrunnen” fountain (popularly known as “Maieborn”), which was a popular place of pilgrimage long before the Thirty Years’ War. Legend has it that the fountain emerged from a swamp where an image of the Virgin Mary was found. Since then, many pilgrims and locals have visited the site to pray for good weather and a good harvest
The most recent, but also the best known place of deep devotion to Mary is the Härtelwald Marian Worship Site. Its origins go back to the much-publicised “Marpingen events” of 1876: The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared with the baby Jesus to three eight-year-old girls in the woods. The apparitions were repeated and became known in the region as “miraculous healings”. In the midst of the cultural conflict between the Prussian state and the Catholic Church, these events quickly led to state reaction and repression. They quickly brought the small village to national attention and earned it the reputation of being a “German Lourdes”. Similar events in 1999, with some parallels to the events of 1876, reinvigorated this image and again caused huge streams of pilgrims.
From 2003 to 2011, the Härtelwald Marian Worship Site was extensively renovated and carefully expanded. Today it consists of the Marian Chapel with the “Grotto” and the visitor centre, the Way of the Cross with the Crucifixion Group and the Marian Fountain with the devotional area and the water treading fountain. With these varied, Christian-inspired facilities and a modern infrastructure, “Härtelwald” still attracts many pilgrims and pilgrimage tourists every year to the popular site. Inner reflection, relaxation and recreation are guaranteed. It is also a place of prayer and veneration of the Mother of God. If you would like to experience the special atmosphere not alone, but during a prayer meeting in a larger group, you are welcome to participate in the regular devotions. Visitors can also leave everyday life behind them and fully immerse themselves in the special atmosphere at spiritual or contemplative concerts.
Afterwards, candles and devotional items can be purchased in the visitor centre next to the Marian Chapel. Large groups of pilgrims can be accommodated there on request. Since 2006, the Marian Trail, a circular trail of approximately 11 km, has passed by the Härtelwald chapel and fountain, one of four Pilgrimage Trails with contemplative stops in Sankt Wendel County that follow in the tradition of the historic Wendelinus Pilgrimage Trail. Marpingen is also a cornerstone of the important St Wendel-Tholey-Marpingen pilgrimage triangle on the famous Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela.
