Our Lady of Mary Dreibrunnen

Marian vocation of San Galo (San Galo)

According to the available data, the foundation of the church or chapel of Dreibrunnen is of medieval originbut it is not known who founded it and in what exact year. The official tourist source of the San Galo region indicates that its origin can be dated probably in the first half of the 13th century, which places the beginning of the Marian devotion of the place in the Middle Ages, within the framework of the Christianization and development of small rural shrines around springs.

Main data

Origin and history

According to the available data, the foundation of the church or chapel of Dreibrunnen is of medieval originbut it is not known who founded it and in what exact year. The official tourist source of the San Galo region indicates that its origin can be dated probably in the first half of the 13th century, which places the beginning of the Marian devotion of the place in the Middle Ages, within the framework of the Christianization and development of small rural shrines around springs.

As for the tradition, there are three sources or springs with special properties - generally interpreted as curative or miraculous - to which the protection of the Virgin Mary is associated under the title of "Mary Dreibrunnen" (Mary of the Three Sources). However, there are no precise accounts of apparitions in the consulting documentation, nor a single and detailed legend comparable to other Marian claims; rather, it is a local mercy rooted in trust in the intercession of Mary linked to these three springs. The documented history it is limited, for the moment, to the existence of the place of worship and its use as a Marian chapel of pilgrimage from medieval times to today.

The image and the sanctuary

The information available on the imagen marian concrete venerated in the Chapel of Mary Dreibrunnen is very limited in accessible online sources: is not clear the exact type of imagetheir material and a detailed iconographic description. No verifiable data are available on whether it is a wooden size, a dress image or other representation, or on its author or precise time.

The existence of the Chapel of Mary Dreibrunnen (in German, approximately Chapel of María Dreibrunnen), identified as a small church or pilgrimage chapel located in the natural environment of Dreibrunnen, within the term of the city of San Galo. It is a modest temple, integrated into a forest and water area, with no rank of minor basilica or national sanctuary; no official references to a formal declaration as a diocesan Marian sanctuary have been found, so for canonical purposes, does not contain a specific title beyond chapel or church of pilgrimage.

The chapel is characterized by its link to the landscape of the three sources and by its being a place of recollection rather than a great monumental sanctuary, in contrast to other major Marian centers in Switzerland, such as Einsiedeln.

Sponsorship and coronation

In the sources consulted no official canonical patronage of Our Lady of Mary Dreibrunnen on the city of San Galo, the canton or the diocese. The advocation has an essentially scope local y regionalas a place of pilgrimage and Marian devotion in the surroundings of San Galo.

Similarly, does not contain a documented canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of Mary Dreibrunnen. No references to a pontifical decree or to a coronation by the delegate of the Holy Father have been found and should be expressly stated: does not contain a documented canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

The tourist and general sources on the chapel of Maria Dreibrunnen highlight the character of place of pilgrimage and spiritual visit, but no indicate a concrete fecha de fiesta principal that is in this advocation. It can be assumed that the most relevant Marian celebration in the place is associated with one of the great festivals of the Virgin (for example, the Nativity of Mary or the Assumption), but by not explicitly stated in verifiable sources, it should be clearly stated: does not contain a specific main holiday date for Our Lady of Mary Dreibrunnen.

La devoción se manifiesta sobre todo mediante: – visitas al santuario como peregrinación local; – oración personal y comunitaria en la capilla; – la tradición de acudir a las three sources, understood as a sign of the grace of God and of the intercession of the Virgin Mary.

There are no recent official data on annual inflow figures, or precise descriptions of their own popular rituals (processions, water blessings, etc.), so that any specific details that exceed this information would be conjectural. In respect of historical and devotional accuracy, only what is true is maintained: small Marian pilgrimage sanctuary, active until today, integrated into the spiritual life of the region of San Galo.

Link to the Rosary

In the accessible documentation on the Chapel of Mary Dreibrunnen there is no specific and documented relationship with the Rosary prayer (for example, a historical fellowship of the Rosary, particular indulgences or a feast of the Rosary specifically linked to the sanctuary).

However, as in virtually all Marian shrines of Latin Catholic tradition, it is reasonable to assume - on the pastoral and spiritual level, not as a precise historical fact - that the Rosary is a regular part of the piety of the faithful to go to Maria Dreibrunnen. Where the Virgin is venerated, the Rosary appears as:

– una school of contemplation of the life of Christ with the eyes of Mary; – una forma sencilla y profunda de unir los misterios de la salvación a las personal intentions que los peregrinos llevan a la Virgen; – un modo de acoger, a la luz del Evangelio, los símbolos propios del lugar (en este caso, las tres fuentes) como signos de la gracia trinitaria que llega al corazón a través de la intercesión materna de María.

So, though there is no record of a specific legal or historical link between the advocation of Our Lady of Mary Dreibrunnen and the Rosarythe prayer of the Rosary is fully harmonized with the spirituality of the sanctuary: to contemplate Christ, entrusting to the Virgin the "sources" of her own life - faith, hope and charity - so that, through her mediation, they will be purified and strengthened.