"Mary, salvation of the sick"
You almost want to rub your eyes: the imposing monastery building of Maria Langegg appears so unexpectedly in the remoteness of the Dunkelsteinerwald. The founding legend goes back over 400 years: the daughter of the prince-archbishop's estate inspector was blind. When she regained her sight, her father had a chapel built. In 1645, the Servite Order took over the church property and extended it over a good hundred years - until 1773 - to create the baroque monastery complex in its current form.
As "Mary, Salvation of the Sick", Maria Langegg became one of the most important pilgrimages in the country. For the year 1783 alone, 381 miraculous healings are recorded.
Would you have thought it?
The 5-hour route from Maria Langegg via Wolfstein Castle to Melk Abbey is considered a particularly beautiful stage of the Way of St. James. However, there is no such thing as THE Way of St. James, but rather a network of so-called paths throughout Europe. What they have in common is the destination: the presumed grave of the Apostle James in Santiago de Compostela, in the far north-west of Spain.
