Short description: Church to which pilgrimages are regularly made
A pilgrimage church (German: Wallfahrtskirche) is a church to which pilgrimages are regularly made, or a church along a pilgrimage route, like the Way of St. James, that is visited by pilgrims.
The Calvary Church in Bonn with its holy stairway
Pilgrimage churches are often located by the graves of saints, or hold portraits to which miraculous properties are ascribed or saintly relics that are safeguarded by the church for their veneration. Such relics may include the bones, books or pieces of clothing of the saints, occasionally also fragments of the cross of Jesus, pieces of the crown of thorns, the nails with which he was fixed to the cross and other similar objects. Pilgrimage churches were also built at places where miracles took place.
Churches are listed in alphabetical order of the sites in or near where they are located.
Austria
Andenken an Birkenstein postcard. University of Dayton Libraries.Pilgrimage Church of Frauenberg in ArdningBasilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary in MariazellMariatrost Basilica in Graz
Ardning, Styria: Pilgrimage Church of Frauenberg
Bad Leonfelden, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Schutz am Bründl
Berg bei Rohrbach, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Trost
Bergheim near Salzburg: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Plain
Christkindl, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Christkindl
Fernitz, Styria: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Trost (Styria)
Bruchhausen (Landkreis Neuwied): Marian pilgrimage church of St. John the Baptist (Zuflucht der Sünder)
Bussen (Upper Swabia): pilgrimage church of St. John the Baptist
Cologne: Cologne Cathedral - SS. Peter and Mary (Epiphany)
Cologne: St. Maria in der Kupfergasse (Black Madonna of Cologne)
Dahenfeld: St Remigius' Church
Deggendorf: Pilgrimage Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Deggingen (Upper Filst valley): Ave Maria (pilgrimage church)
Dettelbach: pilgrimage church of Maria im Sand
Dießen am Ammersee: Marienmünster church in the district of Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria
Düren: St Anne's Church - veneration of the "head of Anna" - a head relic of the mother of Mary
Durmersheim: pilgrimage church of Maria Bickesheim
Eckartshausen (Werneck): pilgrimage church of the Visitation of Mary
Eggerode: pilgrimage church of Birth of the Virgin Mary
Eibingen: pilgrimage church of St. Hildegard and St. John the Baptisth - burial church of Saint Hildegard and sanctuary for the Eibingen relic treasure.
Ellwangen: pilgrimage church of St. Mary of Loreto
Elmstein: pilgrimage church of the Mother of God
Engelberg: St. Michael over the Main
Ettal, (Upper Bavaria): Pilgrimage Church of St Mary of the Assumption
Ettenberg (Marktschellenberg): Pilgrimage Church of the Visitation of Mary
Etzelsbach, (Thüringen): Pilgrimage chapel of Etzelsbach
Fahrenberg: pilgrimage to the Holy Hill of the Visitation of Mary
Freystadt: pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Friedberg: pilgrimage church of Herrgottsruh
Fuchsmühl: pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Fürstenfeldbruck: Fürstenfeld Abbey dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mariä Himmelfahrt) in Bavaria
Gößweinstein: Basilica, pilgrimage church and basilica of the Holy Trinity (Heilige Dreifaltigkeit)
Gottsbüren (North Hesse)
Haltern-Bergbossendorf: pilgrimage chapel of Saint Anne
Hennef-Bödingen: Pilgrimage Church of the Dolorous Mother of God
Herzfeld (Lippetal): pilgrimage church of St. Ida
Hirschberg an der Bergstraße: pilgrimage church of St. John the Baptist
Hohenpeißenberg: pilgrimage chapel and church on the Hoher Peißenberg
Kälberau: pilgrimage church of Maria zum rauhen Wind
Kevelaer: chapel of grace, candle chapel and St Mary's Basilica
Kippenheim: pilgrimage chapel of Maria Frieden
Klausen (Eifel): pilgrimage church of the Visitation of Mary
Kleinenberg near Lichtenau in East Westphalia: pilgrimage chapel
Koblenz-Arenberg: pilgrimage church of St. Nicholas with the Reverend Kraus' Assets (Landscape illustrated Bible)
Koblenz-Lützel: pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Kößlarn: Marian pilgrimage (Bavaria)
Küblingen (Lower Saxony): Pilgrimage Church of St. Mary
Lautenbach: Late Gothic pilgrimage church of Coronation of the Virgin
Leipferdingen: pilgrimage church of St. Michael
Leverkusen-Alkenrath: Gezelin Chapel
Löffingen (Baden-Württemberg): Witterschneekreuz
Ludwigshafen am Rhein-Oggersheim: castle and Pilgrimage Church of St Mary of the Assumption (Ludwigshafen) - pilgrimage to the holy house of Loreto, Marche, pilgrimage site for the Electorate of the Palatinate
Lünen: St Mary's Church
Marienberg (Burghausen)
Maria Gern (Berchtesgaden): Pilgrimage Church of Maria Gern
Mainz-Gonsenheim: Nothelfer Chapel
Maria Steinbach: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Steinbach
Marienheide: pilgrimage church of the Visitation of Mary
Marienthal (Westerwald)
Marienweiher (Marktleugast): pilgrimage basilica the Visitation of Mary
Moosbronn: pilgrimage church Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Mussenhausen: Our Dear Lady of Mount Carmel
Neunburg vorm Wald: Mater Dolorosa (Ortsteil Katzdorf, Oberpfalz)
Neuss: Quirinusmünster (1209-1230)
Nußdorf am Inn (Bavaria): the Visitation of Mary (Kirchwald)
Nothgottes: Abbey near Eibingen in Rheingau, pilgrimage to the Gnadenbild Nothgottes
Oberfell: Pilgrimage Church of Bleidenberg and Pilgerstein, hilltop pilgrimage to Holy Trinity Church
Ottersweier: pilgrimage church of Maria Linden
Ottobeuren: SS. Alexander and Theodore
Pfaffen-Schwabenheim: Stiftskirche (Pfaffen-Schwabenheim), pilgrimage to the Maria, Königin des Friedens, um 1750 aus dem Cologneer Karmel St. Maria vom Frieden (Cologne) geschenkt
Planegg: Maria Eich Chapel
Raitenbuch: St. Blasius
Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden: Maria Kunterweg
The Apollinaris Church in Remagen
Rechberg near Schwäbisch Gmünd: St. Maria on the Hohenrechberg
Regensburg: Alten Kapelle or Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady Regensburg (Kollegiatstift unserer Lieben Frau zur alten Kapelle) in Regensburg in Bavaria
Remagen: Apollinaris Church
Rengersbrunn: Statue of the Mother of God
Reuth bei Erbendorf: Pilgrimage Church of St Mary of the Assumption in the village of Premenreuth
Rieste (Lower Saxony): pilgrimage church of St. John the Baptist on the Lage, pilgrimage to the Lage Cross
Rohr: Braunau in Rohr Abbey dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mariä Himmelfahrt) in Niederbayern in Bavaria
Rütschenhausen: Pilgrimage Church of Maria von der Tann
Rückers, county of Fulda: Roman Catholic Church of St Mary of the Assumption
Saint Salvator (Rauenzell, Bavaria) formerly the oldest pilgrimage of the Diocese of Eichstätt
Saint Bartholomew's: by the Königssee lake in Berchtesgaden Land
Sandizell: St. Peter Church or Asamkirche Sandizell in Schrobenhausen in Bavaria
Schmidmuehlen: Pilgrimage church of the Heiligen Dreifaltigkeit auf dem Kreuzberg
Schönstatt (Vallendar): the Schoenstatt Shrine is an ancient shrine of the Schoenstatt Movement
Schongau: pilgrimage church of St Mary of the Assumption
Schwäbisch Gmünd: pilgrimage church of St. Salvator
Schwandorf: Pilgrimage Church of Our Dear Lady of Kreuzberg
Scheßlitz: pilgrimage church of Gügel
Spaichingen: pilgrimage church on the Dreifaltigkeitsberg
Spabrücken: pilgrimage church of the Black Madonna of Soon
Bad Staffelstein: Pilgrimage Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
Steingaden: Steingaden Abbey in Bavaria, Germany
Steinhausen: Sanctuary Church of Our Lady, Steinhausen (de)
Sulzbach-Rosenberg (Upper Palatinate): Pilgrimage Church of Annaberg
Swisttal-Buschhoven: Marian pilgrimage site with the "Rosa Mystica"
Todtmoos (Black Forest): pilgrimage church of Our Dear Lady of Todtmoos
The Pilgrimage Church of Birnau by Lake Constance
Tuntenhausen: Papal Basilica St Mary of the Assumption
Uhldingen-Mühlhofen: Pilgrimage Church of Birnau
Unterkochen: Marian pilgrimage church of Unterkochen
Maria, Königin des Friedens, Neviges
Velbert-Neviges: Maria, Königin des Friedens (Mary, Queen of Peace)
Vierzehnheiligen: Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
Vilgertshofen: pilgrimage church of the Dolorous Mother of God
Volkach: pilgrimage church of Kirchberg, Maria im Weingarten
Waghäusel: Marian pilgrimage church
Waldsassen: Holy Trinity Church
Walldürn: Pilgrimage Church of the Holy Blood (Blood miracle of Walldürn)
Weihenlinden: pilgrimage church of the Holy Trinity
Weiler in den Bergen (near Schwäbisch Gmünd): St. Bernhard's on the Bernhardusberg hill
Weingarten: Weingarten Abbey or St. Martin’s Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on the Martinsberg near Ravensburg at Baden-Württemberg
Weltenburg: Weltenburg Abbey near Kelheim in Bavaria
Wemding: pilgrimage church of Maria Brünnlein
Werl: Pilgrimage Basilica, dedicated to the Visitation
Old Pilgrimage Church, dedicated to Mary
Wieskirche: Pilgrimage Church of the Scourged Saviour on the Wies in Steingaden in Bavaria designed by the brothers Johann Baptist and Domenikus Zimmermann
Willich-Neersen: Little Jerusalem Church
Bad Wilsnack: St. Nicholas' and the Holy Blood of Wilsnack
Würzburg: pilgrimage church of the Visitation of Mary Käppele
Xanten: pilgrimage church of St. St Mary of the Assumption
Zell am Harmersbach: Pilgrimage Church of Maria zu den Ketten in the village of Unterharmersbach
Zwiefalten: Pilgrimage Church of the Minster of Our Dear Lady
Gibraltar
Shrine of Our Lady of Europe
Great Britain
Walsingham: Anglican and Roman Catholic shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
Palestinian Christian Scouts outside the Church of the Nativity, Palestine
Monastery of Qozhaya (Wadi Qozhaya, Zgharta District)
Monastery of Saint Maron (Annaya, Byblos District) - Sanctuary of Saint Charbel
Monastery of Saint Joseph (Jrabta, Batroun District) - Sanctuary of Saint Rafqa
Monastery of Saints Cyprian and Justina (Kfifan, Batroun District) - Sanctuary of Saint Nimatullah
Qana Al Jaleel (Qana, Tyre District), where it is believed that Jesus Christ performed His first miracle, transforming water into wine at the Marriage at Cana.
Kraków: Wawel Cathedral with the grave of queen Jadwiga of Poland (Królowa Jadwiga)
Skałka in Kraków: sanctuary of Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów, a major patron of Poland
Divine Mercy Sanctuary (Kraków) also known as Łagiewniki: world center of the Divine Mercy devotion with the grave of saint Faustina Kowalska and the most popular version of Divine Mercy image (near by the Center of John Paul II)
Ludźmierz: pilgrimage church with the Mother of God as Queen (Gaździna) of Podhale
Licheń Stary near Konin: very popular new Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń in the site of an apparition
Łobżenica-Górka Klasztorna in Krajna: the site of Marian apparitions
Niepokalanów in Mazovia: sanctuary of the Immaculata as well as saint Maksymilian Kolbe
Pakość near Inowrocław: calvary
Piekary Śląskie: the main Marian sanctuary of Górny Śląsk