Maria in der Tanne, Catholic pilgrimage church in Triberg im Schwarzwald, Germany
Maria in der Tanne is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage church in Triberg im Schwarzwald, consecrated to the Assumption of Mary. Its exterior is plain, while the interior is richly furnished in baroque style. From 1826 to 1958 it also served as the parish church; since 1959 it has belonged to the parish of St. Clemens Maria Hofbauer.
The pilgrimage began in 1644, when, according to the account of priest Johann Baptist Degen, a girl was healed after a parchment image was hung on a large fir tree by a spring. In 1645 tailor Friedrich Schwab, cured of leprosy, carved a wooden Mary and placed it in the tree cavity. The pilgrimage was approved by the Diocese of Konstanz in 1697, and a stone chapel was replaced by a larger building in 1699–1705.
The church's name means 'Mary in the Fir Tree', after the fir cavity where tailor Friedrich Schwab placed a small wooden Mary statue in 1645, thanking her for a cure. That statue became the Gnadenbild (grace-working image). Today the church hosts pilgrimages, weddings and memorial services, and the 1692 singing of three Tyrolean soldiers is remembered as the 'Engel-Gesang' that revived devotion.
The church sits along forest paths and is easy to reach on foot, though the weather in the Black Forest can change quickly. Solid footwear is a good idea, especially outside of summer, when the paths can be wet or muddy.
A tailor is said to have placed a small figure of Mary inside a fir tree cavity in the 17th century as a gesture of thanks after recovering from an illness. That original figure is still kept inside the church today.
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