Star Procession Vow Day Härtelwald

Pilgrimage Site of All-German Significance

Marpingen, in the district of St. Wendel, is the most important Marian pilgrimage site in Saarland. The town owes this significance to two historical events: the Marpingen Vow of 1699 and the Marian apparitions of 1876, which caused a stir in the Catholic world at the time and branded Marpingen as the "German Lourdes".

The Vow of 1699

In a time of hunger, illness, plague, and death, twelve heads of families in Marpingen made a vow in honor of the Mother of God in 1699. They promised to make a pilgrimage to the Marienquelle in the Härtelwald every year on May 23rd and celebrate Holy Mass there. This promise has been kept for generations — to this day, for over 325 years.

The Marian Apparitions of 1876

In July 1876, three young girls — Susanna Leist, Margaretha Kunz, and Katharina Hubertus — reported apparitions of the Mother of God, Mary, in the Härtelwald. Thousands of pilgrims flocked to the site, and the Prussian authorities reacted with military presence, arrests, and a lengthy trial. The Church never officially recognized the apparitions but allowed the Härtelwald to be used as a place of prayer. Marian devotion has remained unbroken ever since.

Star Procession — Three Paths, One Goal

Since 2013, the vow has been commemorated with a star procession in addition to Holy Mass. Three pilgrim groups set off from three different meeting points in Marpingen starting at 6 p.m., walk through the forest in prayer, and meet at the Marienquelle. Holy Mass is celebrated there — outdoors by the spring in good weather, or in the parish church of Maria Himmelfahrt in case of bad weather.

A Living Place of Faith

Unlike touristically polished pilgrimage sites, Marpingen has retained a simple, almost intimate character. The Härtelwald path leads through mixed forest, the Marienquelle is a modest place of devotion with a Marian grace image, and the "Maieborre" (Marian spring) at the parish church is another station on the pilgrimage route. Those who wish to experience May 23rd should come with inner peace and a willingness to pray along — this is not a tourist spectacle.