Our Lady of Mary Buchen

Marian vocation of Lohr am Main (Bavaria)

La tradition places the origin of Mary Buchen's devotion in a prodigious fact that occurred in the forest of the Spessart, next to the road between Lohr and Wiesenfeld- Steinfeld: an unbelieving man nailed his sword into a beech containing an image of the Virgin and the trunk began to sprout blood. According to this legend, this "miracle of the beech" led to the veneration of the Marian image and gave rise to the place of pilgrimage in the Buchental, in the middle of the forest. Some deformed versions of this legend speak of a "desecration" of the image by Jews, a legendary anti-Jewish topic that is now expressly recognized as part of a controversial context of time and not as a proven historical fact.

Main data

Origin and history

La tradition places the origin of Mary Buchen's devotion in a prodigious fact that occurred in the forest of the Spessart, next to the road between Lohr and Wiesenfeld- Steinfeld: an unbelieving man nailed his sword into a beech containing an image of the Virgin and the trunk began to sprout blood. According to this legend, this "miracle of the beech" led to the veneration of the Marian image and gave rise to the place of pilgrimage in the Buchental, in the middle of the forest. Some deformed versions of this legend speak of a "desecration" of the image by Jews, a legendary anti-Jewish topic that is now expressly recognized as part of a controversial context of time and not as a proven historical fact.

As for the documented historythe local sources place the origins of the pilgrimage to end of the 14th centuryaround the year 1395as a reference date for the existence of devotion in the place. The first chapel of Maria Buchen was consecrated in 1461, according to the historical tradition collected in studies on the region of Main-Spessart. The present church of pilgrimage was later built and consecrated the 29 May 1701 by the auxiliary bishop of Würzburg, Stephan Weinberger, consolidating the sanctuary as one of the main Marian pilgrimage places of the Spessart. Over the centuries, the place was configured as monastery and sanctuary complex and is presented today by the diocese of Würzburg as "spiritual space for more than 600 years."

The image and the sanctuary

The advocation is venerated in the Mariabuchen pilgrimage church (German: Sanctuary of Mariabuchen), located in the forest valley of Buchental, a few kilometres from Lohr am Main, in the region of Spessart (Franconia, Bavaria). It is a Marian sanctuary of the diocese of Würzburg, recognized as one of the best known and well-known pilgrimage places of the Spessart. The current Baroque-style rural church is part of a small ensemble with the old convent, guest house and accommodation for the reception of pilgrims, which make up a "spiritual oasis" in the middle of the forest. It is not known that the temple has the title of a minor basilica or that it is a national sanctuary; it is a diocesan sanctuary / pilgrimage site recognized by the diocese of Würzburg.

Devotion is born linked to a image of the Virgin in a beech tree, according to legend, but the sources consulted do not provide a detailed and secure description of the currently venerated image on the altar of the church (exact type of image - for example, Madonna standing or sedent-, material, dating and complete iconography). Since the precise iconographic data are not documented in accessible sources, no consta with certainty the technical description of the Marian image today exposed to veneration.

Sponsorship and coronation

Maria Buchen is one of the main Marian shrines of Mainfranken and the Spessartand is presented pastoral as a reference place for pilgrims from the region of Franconia and the forest of the Spessart. The recent pastoral motto, "Mary, pilgrim of hope, "stresses precisely its link to the experience of the pilgrim. No official data have been found to declare Our Lady of Mary Buchen as a canonically proclaimed patron of a specific city, diocese or region beyond this devotional patronage on the pilgrims of the Spessart and the surroundings of Lohr am Main.

In relation to a canonical coronation of the image, the diocesan sources, the official page of the sanctuary and the informative documentation about Maria Buchen do not mention any canonical coronation neither by Pontifical Decree nor by Episcopal delegation. Therefore, according to the information available, does not contain a documented canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

The official page of the sanctuary and of the diocese underline that Maria Buchen is place of active pilgrimage with regular celebrations and an intense devotional life, but do not expressly require a single main party date of the advocation (for example, a fixed annual holiday specific to "Our Lady of Mary Buchen"). In Central European pastoral practice, the great Marian shrines often concentrate their main pilgrimages on the Easter time, on the Marian calendar parties (such as the Assumption or Nativity of the Virgin) and on diocesan days, but for Maria Buchen no constain the sources consulted, a specific date indicated as the "patron party" of the advocation.

What does appear clearly is the character of pilgrimage center throughout the yearwith special inflow in the season of pilgrimages. The diocese of Würzburg describes Mariabuchen as "one of the most popular and well-known places of pilgrimage of the Spessart," which indicates a significant influx of pilgrims and groups of the region of Main-Spessart and other areas of Franconia. The sanctuary is presented as "spiritual oasis" with the Eucharist of pilgrims, possibility of spiritual exercises, diocesan days and special acts that highlight a simple and very rooted Marian devotion in the rural and forestry world of the area.

Link to the Rosary

The official sources of Mariabuchen (Diocese of Würzburg, site of the sanctuary and local news material) do not mention a specific and specific relationship of this advocation with the prayer of the Rosary, as could be historical rosary copradies, large characteristic public rosaries or particular denominations linked to the Rosary. Consequently, no consta a unique historical link of this advocation to the Rosary beyond the usual general Marian practice in the sanctuaries.

However, in the Catholic tradition, the Marian shrines of pilgrimage are places where the Rosario occupies a central place in the spiritual life of the pilgrim: accompanies the walk through the forest, serves as meditation of the mysteries of Christ's life with Mary and is often prayed before or after the Eucharist. In a sanctuary like Mary Buchen, located in the heart of nature and with a strong imprint of pilgrimage, the Rosary is naturally integrated into devotion: it allows to contemplate the Mary as "pilgrim of hope" - recent pastoral motto - and join the steps of the outer path through the Spessart with the inner path of conversion, thanksgiving and supplication entrusted to the Mother of God.