Pilgrimage Church-Kreuzberg “Our Lady”
On April 17, 1945, a bomb attack destroyed the previous baroque church from the 17th century, except for the choir walls, and severely damaged the adjacent monastery. The miraculous image that shows Mary with the baby Jesus remained intact. The picture is a copy of the Passau Maria Hilf picture in the parish church of St. Peter in Munich, copied by the Munich court painter Johann Carl Loth. The Passau picture was based on the picture in St. Jakob in Innsbruck painted by Lukas Cranach in 1518.
After the war, the Carmelites began building a new church under the leadership of their then prior, Fr. Alexander Schultes. The plans for the sober building were provided by government architect Franz Seraph Günthner from Regensburg. He took over the remaining choir walls with the rounded apse and added a three-aisled nave with sloping corners. The foundation stone was laid on September 18, 1949.
The exterior building with the two corner towers, which are crowned by pointed helmets made of aluminum sheets, can be seen from afar. The monastery building leans on the south and east sides. There are chapels built on the north side. The mosaic in the arched field above the portal shows the events at the Last Judgment. Christ appears as judge of the world with the twelve apostles and Mary.
The elaborately designed high altar with the baroque miraculous image in the choir room attracts attention when entering the church. The design of the floor also contributes to this with a mosaic that shows the Fall of Man in Paradise in a semicircle in front of the main entrance.
The centerpiece of the high altar is the miraculous image in a strong baroque frame, which appears to float in front of a niche-like back wall. It is surrounded by ascending angels. The background is formed by a halo of rays shining in gold and silver, which emphasizes the miraculous image with the angels emerging from the semi-darkness.
The right side altar is dedicated to St. Dedicated to Joseph, the figure of St. Joseph, together with the baby Jesus and Mary sitting to the side, are reduced to the essentials. The left side altar is St. Dedicated to Theresia of Avila, the reformer of the Carmelite order. The expressive paintings on the flat ceiling of the nave tell of the most important stages in Mary's life.
Source: Excerpts from the church guide