Maria Läng, Catholic chapel in Old Town, Regensburg, Germany.
Maria Läng is a narrow chapel room on the ground floor of Pfauengasse 2, entered from the street through a door beneath two round-arched windows. Its three-bay cross-ribbed vault carries acanthus paintings from 1675. The 1678 altar has a central niche flanked by paired columns, holding a crowned Virgin in a damask dress, with wooden figures of Peter and Paul from around 1520 at the sides.
Albert Ernst von Wartenberg, canon and later auxiliary bishop (1635–1715), had an older dilapidated house chapel demolished and built the present chapel in 1675; it was consecrated in 1678. During excavation he found underground passages, Roman and medieval building remains, graves and reliquary boxes, which he interpreted as early Christian catacombs. He also had a subterranean chapel with a seated St Peter installed in the cellar, used until the early 19th century. The ground-floor chapel was incorporated into the new four-storey building at Pfauengasse 2 in 1881.
The chapel's name refers to a belief that the statue of Mary shows her true body length, a measure once thought to bring blessings or fulfil wishes. A chronicle of around 1830 records that people prayed here for things to grow longer, such as children, cattle, hair or grain, and for droughts or long lawsuits to become shorter. Visitors still leave devotional gifts in the chapel.
The chapel sits at Pfauengasse 2, just off the southern Domplatz, and is reached through a door from the lane; two round-arch windows mark it from outside. The room is small and narrow, roughly 10 by 13 metres, so a short visit fits easily into a walk through the Old Town. Access is limited for wheelchairs.
The name 'Läng' derives from an old tradition claiming the Virgin Mary statue represents her believed actual physical height based on ancient sources. Few visitors initially realize this naming detail and its deeper meaning.
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