Ways of St. James in Austria
The pilgrimage church Maria Plain attracts many pilgrims. Every Sunday and holiday there are several masses and the church is always full. In the monastery belonging to it, Benedictine monks and sisters were allowed to work together but live separately for a long time. This worked well until the church sent the sisters (and also the popular Sister Anna) away. Until then, the monastery welcomed pilgrims and guests, but is this still possible without the sisters?
On the top of the Plainberg the present church building was erected between 1671 and 1673. The photo was taken on 30 December 2008.
The monastery building next to the church was built for the pastoral care of pilgrims. Today the church belongs to St. Peter's Abbey in Salzburg.
A way of the cross (stations of the cross) leads up to the church.
The church has been renovated in recent years.
The interior of the basilica
The miraculous image Maria Trost at the high altar.
This picture was miraculously spared during the Thirty Years' War when the city of Regen (Lower Bavaria) was destroyed by fire.
After the picture of the Virgin Mary had been brought to Salzburg, Archbishop Guidobald Thun ordered the construction of a chapel in 1652. Only 20 years later the church was built.
In 1751 the picture of the Virgin Mary was crowned according to a promise. Presumably in 1779, the Coronation Mass composed by W. A. Mozart was performed during such a coronation celebration.
The Mother of God is often represented in the basilica. This statue floats (on a chain) above the heads of the visitors. (See also the picture "The interior of the basilica")
In Maria Plain there is a Mariahilf picture. It hangs in a right side altar - where the sacrificial candles are lit. Emperor Franz Josef and Franz Carl appear on the dedication plaque. For comparison the original by Lucas Cranach, Innsbruck.
St. Nepomuk is also represented in Maria Plain.
Of course I have him added to my
View from the monastery Maria Plain. On the left the church, in the background Salzburg and the surrounding mountains. For an enlargement of the fortress mountain, click on the small picture!
With the choir of Susi Huber we (Vreni and Gerhard) have already rehearsed many a mass in Maria Plain and performed it in the pilgrimage church.
Eugendorf - Maria Plain
Jakobsweg nach Salzburg
