Pilgrimage Site Maria Waldrast
Where the picturesque pilgrimage church stands today, there was originally a small clearing in the forest. People crossing the mountain passes from one valley to another would rest here. The name Waldrast is derived from this very resting place.
On Holy Saturday in the year 1407, two shepherd boys, Hans and Peter from Mützens, discovered an image of the Mother of God inside a hollow larch trunk. The boys’ families then carefully sawed the sacred image—which had grown into the trunk—out and brought the Mother of God to the parish church in Matrei am Brenner.
When the woodcutter Christian Lusch was on his way home from work on Pentecost of that same year, he heard the clear ringing of bells. Exactly where the pilgrimage church stands today, the Virgin Mary appeared to him with a child in her arms and reminded him of what an inner voice had already instructed him to do: he was to build a church at this very spot. In 1409, the Bishop of Brixen granted permission for the construction project. Twenty years later, Lusch’s dream became a reality, and the chapel, built in honor of Mary, was provisionally completed.
Where the picturesque pilgrimage church stands today, there was originally a small clearing in the forest. People crossing the mountain passes from one valley to another would rest here. The name Waldrast is derived from this very resting place.
The Beginning of the Pilgrimage to Maria Waldrast
In 1429, the image of the Mother of God was carried back up the mountain in a solemn procession to the newly built “Maria Waldrast” chapel. In 1465, the Auxiliary Bishop of Salzburg consecrated the altars of the pilgrimage church. A chaplain was appointed to care for the pilgrims, and Prince Maximilian (later Emperor) granted him permission to provide hospitality to the pilgrims. During the peasant uprisings, the chapel—which had already been enlarged—was looted. However, the damage was repaired by the faithful.
Pilgrimage Site and Place of Power
Then as now, the Hotel Maria Waldrast is a popular pilgrimage destination. Not much has changed since the beginning of the Marian pilgrimage. Pilgrims, travelers passing through, adventurers, and those seeking peace from near and far find refuge, spirituality, and relaxation behind the monastery’s imposing walls. In addition, the Servite Monastery in Matrei am Brenner is the perfect venue for seminars, courses, family celebrations, and festivities of all kinds.
Here, one can sense what a voice is said to have proclaimed even at the time of the pilgrimage site’s founding: “Great signs will occur here until the end of time!”