Wallfahrtskirche Maria Hilf Speiden, Catholic pilgrimage church in Speiden, Bavaria, Germany

Wallfahrtskirche Maria Hilf Speiden is a Catholic pilgrimage church in Bavaria featuring baroque architecture with decorative stucco work and painted ceiling frescoes. The white walls and ornate interior create an inviting sacred space set against the backdrop of the Allgäu Alps.

In 1635 farmer Christian Steinacher built a chapel to thank the Virgin for saving his daughter Annele, after three plague-stricken soldiers of the Schlick regiment were buried at a cross before his house. The growing pilgrimage soon outgrew it, so a larger church rose north of the chapel between 1644 and 1647. Enlarged from 1660, it was consecrated in 1678 by Augsburg prince-bishop Johann Christoph von Freyberg.

The main hall displays a fresco of divine grace through the Virgin Mary, surrounded by medallions showing important moments from her life. These visual depictions shape how visitors experience the space as a place of devotion.

The church is best explored on foot and offers good views of its architectural features from the outside. For inquiries about visiting or contacting the parish office, it helps to plan ahead.

The offering boxes can only be opened with three different tools used at once: one held by the parish priest, one by the Eisenberg official and one by the Hohenfreyberg official. Because the three parties often failed to appear together, the boxes filled up, and thieves stole the contents with twigs coated in glue.