Wallfahrtskirche Maria Einsiedel in Gernsheim, Gothic pilgrimage church in Gernsheim, Germany

Wallfahrtskirche Maria Einsiedel is a Gothic church with a rectangular ground plan and a prominent entrance portico supported by four columns. Inside, the sanctuary holds two revered Mary figures that form the focal point of this place of worship.

A 1493 indulgence letter issued in Rome and signed by 16 cardinals, among them the future popes Julius II and Leo X, calls the chapel "Maria Ansidl bei Jernesem" dilapidated and grants pilgrims 100 days' indulgence for donations toward its repair. The chapel and pilgrimage thus already existed and were older than the letter. The wooden Pietà still kept here is dated to around 1400. The present church was built around 1500.

The church serves as a destination for pilgrims who come to venerate the two Mary figures and bring their personal intentions. Over centuries, this site has grown into a spiritual meeting place where people seek guidance and comfort.

Visitors should know that the church becomes quite full during major celebrations in July and September when pilgrims come to pray. It helps to check opening times in advance and enter respectfully, as this place of worship remains an active site of prayer.

The older of the two Marian figures, a wooden Pietà carved around 1400, is now set in a niche in the east wall of the nave, left of the choir, while the later Moon Madonna stands centrally in the choir. Legend holds that the Pietà was found in an elderberry bush and kept returning there from the parish church of Gernsheim until a chapel was built for it.