Wieskirche and the cows

On Day 4 of the trip with the Bavarian Tourist Office and the National Tour Association we had a morning trip up the Rauschbergaus Mountain via cable car and the views were fabulous. There's a wonderful restaurant at the top and lots of great hiking trails. I recommend it!

In the afternoon we had a stop at Wieskirche, also known as the "Church in the Meadow." The official name is the "Pilgrimage Church of the Scourged Savior in the Wies." Back in 1730 Father Magnus Straub and Friar Lukas Schweiger built a figure of Jesus for the Good Friday procession, using parts from other wooden figures, which they then covered in linen and painted. It was such a realistic representation of the suffering Jesus, that the congregation found it too moving and they decided to store it in the monaster's innkeeper Jeremia Rehle's attic. On March 4, 1738, the innkeeper's godmother Maria Lory moved it to her farm, the "Wieshof." During evening prayers on June 14, 1738 she apparently noticed drops of water on Jesus' face, which she interpreted as tears. As you can imagine, many people wanted to see the statue and so it became a popular pilgrimage spot. The side chapel contains many photos, prayers and letters from pilgrims from around the world and an estimated one million visitors visit each year.

The paintings in the church were done by two brothers, Dominikus and Johann Baptist Zimmermann of Wessobrunn. It's now included in the UNESCO list of cultural heritage buildings and is a fine example of rococo style.

As well as the beautiful artwork, it was lovely to hear the cows right outside the church. It must have been feeding time as they were pretty vocal!

Weiskirche is featured on many of our tours, especially those including the Oberammergau Passion Play.