Our Lady of Mary Eich

Marian Invocation of Planeg (Bavaria)

La advocación de Our Lady of Mary Eich is attached to an old Marian pilgrimage place in a forest near Planegg, in the district of Munich, Bavaria, where the current wallfahrtskirche (pilgrimage church) and Augustino convent of Mary Eich. The name "Maria Eich" refers precisely to the presence of a image of the Virgin linked to an oak (Eich / Eiche = oak / oak in German), origin of the sanctuary.

Main data

Origin and history

La advocación de Our Lady of Mary Eich is attached to an old Marian pilgrimage place in a forest near Planegg, in the district of Munich, Bavaria, where the current wallfahrtskirche (pilgrimage church) and Augustino convent of Mary Eich. The name "Maria Eich" refers precisely to the presence of a image of the Virgin linked to an oak (Eich / Eiche = oak / oak in German), origin of the sanctuary.

According to the tradition In this wooded place, a Marian image was venerated from ancient times, placed in the trunk of an oak, before which the faithful came to pray and ask for favors; around this modest rustic oratorio would have been growing, over the years, the influx of pilgrims. The reference to an image in an oak is part of the devotional account transmitted orally and in pious descriptions of the place; no consta in a precise way the exact date and the founding document that attests to the moment the image was placed on the tree, beyond the general indication that the cult was consolidated in modern times.

As for the documented history, current sources describe Mary Eich as a Agustin convent with pilgrimage churchsince 1953 by the Augustines, who take care of the pastoral work in this Marian sanctuary frequented by the faithful of the region of Munich. The church and the devotional ensemble are within the territory of the Parish Association in the Würmtal (archdiocese of Munich and Freising), which expressly recognizes Mary Eich as "well known and appreciated pilgrimage church," without providing in its official pages a detailed chronology of the origins and a list of historical milestones prior to the arrival of the Augustines. The pre-twentieth-century elements are, therefore, known today especially by the local memory and by general references to its character as Marian sanctuary in the forest.

The image and the sanctuary

La image of the Virgin Revered in Mary Eich, it is linked, in its origin, to devotion to a Marian image placed in an oak; this link has consistently marked the symbolism of the place. However, in the documentation available online of the sanctuary itself and of the archdiocese no consta a detailed technical description of the size (material, exact dimensions, artistic dating) or a precise iconography beyond its character of image of Mary who receives the veneration of the pilgrims. Nor is it clearly specified whether the image currently exposed to the cult is the same as that which was venerated in the trunk of the oak or a posterior image, nor is a complete art sheet offered in the sources consulted.

El sanctuary is organized today as a set formed by the Wallfahrtskirche Maria Eich (pilgrimage church) y el convent of the agustines, located in a wooded environment and described as a "idyllic" prayer place and collected. The church is simply mentioned as Sanctuary (pilgrimage church), dependent on the archdiocese of Munich and Freising, without the title of a minor basilica or mention of a recognition as a national sanctuary; it is a sanctuary of character regional/diocesano, very frequented by local faithful. The official site of Mary Eich indicates that the Augustines have been spiritually attending this place of pilgrimage since 1953, offering a wide pastoral and sacramental activity.

Sponsorship and coronation

Los textos del Parish Association in the Würmtal and the sanctuary itself present Mary Eich as a church of pilgrimage of great appreciation in the surroundings of Planegg and the Würm Valleywithout formally declaring a specific canonical patronage on the city of Planegg, the district of Munich or the whole of Bavaria. In the documentation consulted no consta an official decree defining Our Lady of Mary Eich as the head of the diocese or of another higher ecclesiastical constituency; its influence is above all that of a local and local Marian sanctuary deeply rooted in popular piety.

As for a possible canonical coronationneither the official page of the sanctuary nor that of the archbishopric of Munich and Freising nor the available reviews mention any ceremony of coronation of the image of the Virgin of Mary Eich, nor by a pontifical delegate or the diocesan authority with the decree of the Holy See. Therefore, according to the sources consulted, does not contain a documented canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

The official sources dedicated to Mary Eich describe the place as a very busy pilgrimage sanctuarywith an intense liturgical and pastoral life, but the accessible documents do not clearly specify a single main party date the title "Our Lady of Mary Eich." In the Bavarian context, many Marian pilgrimages are concentrated around the great Marian solemnities (especially the Assumption and Birth of the Virgin), but for Mary Eich, in the sources consulted, no consta an explicit formulation of the own employer's day as a unique liturgical title.

The devotion is articulated, above all, through the pilgrimages and visits to the sanctuary, which the official site presents as a welcoming place for personal prayer, the sacrament of reconciliation and participation in the Eucharist. The temple and the "Eichenvorraum" (space linked to the oak) remain open daily for large slots, which facilitates the continuous influx of faithful. It is emphasized that Mary Eich is a "known and appreciated" place of pilgrimage, very rooted in the religiosity of the inhabitants of Planegg and the region of Munich, without the provision of assistance figures or statistical series in the texts consulted.

Link to the Rosary

In the information provided by the sanctuary and the archdiocese no consta a specific historical or legal link between the advocation of Our Lady of Mary Eich and a co-fradia, archcofradia or particular movement linked to the prayer of the Rosarynot a party of its own defined as a rosarian. The available documentation focuses on the presentation of Mary Eich as a place of general Marian pilgrimage and on ordinary liturgical life.

However, by the very nature of the sanctuary - a place of Marian spirituality where the faithful come to pray, intercede and give thanks - it is reasonable to consider that the Rosary It has a significant place in the personal and community prayer of pilgrims, although this fact is more within the scope of the usual devotional practice than that of a specific documented institution. In Catholic spirituality, the Rosary is presented as a privileged way of to meditate on the life of Christ with the eyes of Maryso that the visit to the sanctuary, the participation in the Eucharist and the prayer of the Rosary are naturally integrated into the same itinerary of faith. Thus, the advocation of Our Lady of Mary Eich is harmonically inserted into the great Marian tradition of the Church, in which the Rosary accompanies and sustains the life of prayer of the faithful who come to the sanctuaries to entrust themselves to the intercession of the Virgin.