Marienthal Monastery Pilgrimage Church and Lourdes Grotto

Marienthal Abbey was a Franciscan monastery. The history of the monastery goes back to the first half of the 15th century. According to the founding legend, a shepherd carved an image of the Mother of God and placed it on the spot where the first chapel was built around 1460. Since 2016 there has been a restaurant in the monastery building.

At this place of pilgrimage, believers have been seeking consolation and help from the “Sorrowful Mother of Marienthal” for almost 600 years.
Marienthal belongs to the Archdiocese of Cologne and is known beyond the region as one of the oldest Marian shrines in Germany. Even today, Marienthal is a popular place of pilgrimage.

Even though the religious community that used to be based here left the Marienthal monastery a decade ago, the pilgrimage church was open when I visited today and was visited by some people for silent Eucharistic adoration. Next to the church there is a statue of the Sacred Heart and behind it a Lourdes grotto has been built.