A pilgrimage to a statue of Mary in Werl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, caused the building of pilgrimage churches there. The first one, completed in 1662, was replaced by a Baroque building completed in 1789, which later became known as the Alte Wallfahrtskirche (Old Pilgrimage Church). When it became too small, an adjacent Wallfahrtsbasilika (Pilgrimage Basilica) was built, dedicated to the Visitation (Mariä Heimsuchung). It was declared a Basilica minor in 1953. A pilgrimage to a miraculous image of Mary (wundertätiges Marienbild) in Werl began in 1661. The Gnadenbild is a wood-carved figure of Mary with her son on her lap, dated to the 12th century. An abbey church of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, designed by a friar Bonitus from Trier and completed in 1662, became unstable and was demolished. A larger church was built instead to accommodate the rising numbers of pilgrims. More information...
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