Dettelbach Pilgrimage of the Parish Community Theres

A Pilgrimage Tradition Over 500 Years Old

The Dettelbach Pilgrimage leads to the pilgrimage church Maria im Sand in Dettelbach, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Würzburg, located in the Kitzingen district in the state of Bavaria. Its origin dates back to a miraculous healing in 1504: the severely injured Nikolaus Lemmerer vowed to bring a candle to a statue of Mary in the Dettelbach vineyards and was healed. In the following years, numerous other answered prayers were documented. For over 500 years, believers have been making the pilgrimage to this place of grace.

The Pilgrimage Church Maria im Sand

After a wooden chapel (1507) and a stone chapel (1511), Prince-Bishop Julius Echter revived the pilgrimage in the course of the Counter-Reformation. The magnificent pilgrimage church Maria im Sand was built from 1608–1613, and a Franciscan monastery was added in 1616. At its center is a late Gothic Pietà from around 1500, housed in a glass reliquary of the Rococo altar since 1778. The church contains works from the Riemenschneider school, the Renaissance portal by Michael Kern, and 24 miracle paintings from around 1660.

The Walking Pilgrimage of the Parish Community Theres

The Parish Community Theres from the Schweinfurt district invites pilgrims to Dettelbach every September for a walking pilgrimage. The journey begins early in the morning in Ottendorf; those who wish to walk a shorter distance can join via bus transfer in Kolitzheim or in the afternoon in Neuses. Prayer, singing, and community characterize the pilgrimage day, which culminates in a divine service in the pilgrimage church.

Living Piety in Lower Franconia

Dettelbach remains one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Würzburg to this day. The main pilgrimage seasons are the months of May and September, when numerous processions arrive from the Rhön, the Odenwald, and the Bamberg region. The pilgrimage of the PG Theres is part of this centuries-old tradition of lived Marian devotion in Lower Franconia.