Our Lady of Altötting, Catholic pilgrimage church in Altötting, Germany.

Our Lady of Altötting is an octagonal chapel decorated inside and out with over 2,000 votive images left by visitors. At its center stands a wooden statue of the Black Madonna that serves as the focal point for prayer and veneration.

The chapel originated in the 7th century and gained widespread attention after 1489 when the survival of a drowned boy following prayer before the Madonna was reported. This event transformed it into a major pilgrimage destination across Europe.

Pilgrims still circle the chapel on their knees, often using wooden crosses kept ready for the purpose, praying for help in troubles. Over 2,000 votive pictures cover the walls of the open walkway, left in thanks for answered prayers. On Ash Wednesday the Madonna is wrapped in a blue veil and venerated by kissing, a custom dating to the Thirty Years' War.

Pilgrims still circle the chapel on foot, sometimes kneeling, using the wooden crosses kept ready for this purpose; the open walkway holding over 2,000 votive images is entered from the Kapellplatz. On Good Friday the Black Madonna is veiled in black from 7 a.m. until after the Easter Vigil, and on Ash Wednesday she is wrapped in a blue veil for the kissing of the image. Capuchin friars have maintained the shrine since 1802.

The chapel houses 28 silver urns containing hearts of German nobility members, including Bavarian kings and queens, placed within its walls. This unusual practice of heart burial makes it a singular shrine in the Christian world.