Wieskirche, Catholic pilgrimage church in Steingaden, Germany
Wieskirche is a Catholic pilgrimage church in Steingaden, Germany, known for its white and gold interior design. The oval-shaped worship space features elaborate ceiling frescoes, stucco work, and gilded details that fill the entire interior.
Dominikus Zimmermann designed and built this church between 1745 and 1754 after reports of a weeping Christ figure from 1738 drew pilgrims. The building was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 and represents the height of Bavarian Rococo.
The name 'Wieskirche' comes from the meadow where pilgrims gathered in the 18th century to venerate the wooden figure that reportedly wept. Today, travelers visit to admire the ornate decoration and experience how faith and art merge in this Rococo interior.
The church opens daily in the afternoon for visitors, with guided tours offered in several languages after advance booking. The site sits on a meadow near Steingaden and is accessible by a short walk from the parking area.
The wooden Scourged Saviour was carved in 1730 by Father Magnus Straub and Brother Lukas Schweiger at Steingaden Abbey and carried in its Good Friday processions in 1732–34. In 1738 it passed to a farmer at Wies, where his wife Maria Lory saw drops she took for tears on 14 June 1738. Dominikus Zimmermann then lived at Wies until his death in 1766.
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