Maria Brettfall, Pilgrimage church in Strass im Zillertal, Austria.
Maria Brettfall is a Catholic pilgrimage chapel set on a rocky rise in the forest near Strass im Zillertal, Austria. It is a listed monument and can be reached by a forest path that starts from a parking area in the village.
The site was founded in 1536 as a hermitage by Father Stoff Weymoser. Over the following centuries it grew into the pilgrimage chapel that visitors come to see today.
The path to the chapel is lined with crosses where pilgrims stop and pray during the ascent. These stations have been part of local devotional life for centuries and remain central to the pilgrimage today.
The path to the chapel is well marked and climbs through forest from the parking area in Strass. Sturdy footwear is a good idea as the ground is uneven and the route involves some uphill sections.
When Emperor Joseph II banned pilgrimages in 1785, the sanctuary faced closure. A hermit named Franz Margreiter traveled all the way to Vienna to speak with the emperor in person, and the site was allowed to reopen in 1787.
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