Last Updated on 08/18/20 by Rose Palmer
Bavaria’s Wieskirche or the Pilgrimage Church of Wies, is a UNESCO protected church in the green bucolic foothills of the German alps that was built in the mid 18th century by two brothers, J.B. and Dominikus ZImmermann. The site became a pilgrimage destination to see the Scourged Saviour, a wooden statue that was purported to produce miracles to those who prayed to it. When the existing chapel that displayed the wooden figure became too small for the pilgrimage rush, the local abbey commissioned the larger church and shrine – and so the Wieskirche was built.
The Pilgrimage Church of Wies
The church was built in the 1740’s. Its simple exterior surrounded by the pastoral scenery gives no hint to the elaborate rococo masterpiece that greets you inside. The frescoes, the sculptures and the detailed wood carvings all come together into an elaborate (and a little visually overwhelming) space that has to be taken in slowly.
How to get to the Wieskirche
The Wieskirche is about a one and a half hour drive south from Munich and about a half hour drive from the town of Oberamergau. It is also about a half hour drive from the castle of Neuschwanstein.
For information about visiting the Wieskirche, please visit http://wieskirche.de/.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
