Maria Trens, Catholic pilgrimage church in Trens, Freienfeld, Italy
Maria Trens, also known as the Pfarrkirche Maria Himmelfahrt, is a pilgrimage church in the village of Trens in the municipality of Freienfeld, South Tyrol. Its austere stone facade has a gabled roof, a pointed-arch portal with frescoes under a wooden canopy, and a bell tower with a pyramidal red-tiled roof. Inside, frescoes by Viennese artist Joseph Adam von Mölk depict scenes from the life of the Assumption of Mary, and a polychrome wooden statue of the Virgin and Child, carved around 1470 by an unknown artist of Hans Multscher's Ulm school, stands in the Gnadenkapelle.
This sanctuary was first documented in 1345 when Pope Clement VI granted an indulgence to support building a church dedicated to Mary. Over the centuries it was enlarged and decorated with artworks that reinforced its importance as a pilgrimage destination.
The venerated image is a fully painted wooden statue of Mary holding the child Jesus, carved around 1460–1470 by an unknown sculptor of Hans Multscher's Ulm school. Since 1727 it has stood in the Gnadenkapelle added to the church, whose fresco was painted by Innozenz Anton Warathy. The pilgrim path from Sprechenstein leads to the church past several stations.
The church stands at the northern end of Trens at 995 m, about one kilometre from the Freienfeld train station. A pilgrim path with several stations leads to it from Sprechenstein, running beside the Brenner state road from the northwest. The entrance is on the gabled stone facade, sheltered by a shallow wooden canopy.
A local story tells of a statue of Mary that repeatedly returned to the chapel whenever it was moved elsewhere. This led to stronger faith and trust among worshippers in the spiritual power of the place.
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