375 years ago a prominent little lady moved into the parish church of St. Johann Baptist in Föching - and made Föching a well-known place of pilgrimage.
Thousands of believers have made a pilgrimage since 1646 to the "miraculous image of the Sorrowful Mother of Föching".
Sometimes they experienced a small miracle.
Föching -
St. Johann Baptist is an old church, a baptistery, first mentioned in the year 817. However, the Föching parish church owes its current size and furnishings not to its age, but to a small, 48-centimeter cast stone figure. The “miraculous image of the Sorrowful Mother of Föching” forms the spatial and spiritual center of the church. On August 15, 1646, on the Assumption of Mary, the Madonna statue was escorted in a solemn procession from Munich to Föching - a day that changed the village and is remembered with a festive service on Saturday.
"It must have been a big event," believes church clerk Georg Rohbogner.
The figure arrived on a magnificent carriage, accompanied by a large crowd.
There are no more details.
"I'm not the youngest anymore," smiles the 82-year-old, "but I wasn't there myself back then."
"Need teaches prayer"
What is certain is that the Madonna was already enjoying great prominence at the time.
Even the electoral court believed in their miracle work.
Bavaria groaned in those years under the Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648), hunger and death were omnipresent.
"Need teaches prayer", quoted Rohbogner from a chronicle.
First and foremost, the deeply religious Elector Maximilian hoped for divine assistance and enthusiastically registered when small miracles occurred.
And this is where the Madonna comes in.
The figure itself comes from the Gothic period (around 1420).
It only gained its radiance when a bricklayer found it not far from Ettal Abbey.
According to tradition, he left the Madonna to a friend in Munich, Elisabeth Jäger, who was born in Föching.
The elderly lady dressed the figure - and found that her painful arm healed during this work.
"The word got around quickly," reports Rohbogner, "in Munich the rush was almost too big."
So Jäger got permission from the bishop to bring the Madonna back to her hometown.
The Electress himself is said to have dressed the statue, allegedly from parts of her wedding dress.
The year 1646 marked a turning point in the history of Föching; Föching rose to become a place of pilgrimage to Mary.
The church was enlarged as early as 1664.
Since the cisterns of the place could not quench the thirst of the pilgrims, a 70 meter deep well had to be dug in 1792.
"Old pictures show that there were even market stalls from the street to the church," says the caretaker.
The large rectory was built.
On some days up to 30 priests were in Föching to hear confession.
8000 hosts were distributed in one day
The believers came because votive tablets confirmed that the "Sorrowful Mother" had helped.
These works of art of popular piety can still be admired in the house of God today.
The church meticulously documented the pilgrimage success in miracle books.
"Between the years 1676 and 1790, 2935 miracles were recorded," reports Rohbogner.
The 200th anniversary celebration in 1846 turned into a major national event.
“8000 hosts were distributed,” Rohbogner read.
One of the last great pilgrimages with 6000 participants took place in 1914, at the beginning of the First World War.
"When there was a war and the worries were great, the people asked for assistance at the Föching image," says Rohbogner.
After the Second World War, the pilgrimage fell asleep.
"There are still people coming," says the clergyman, "but there are few."
Festive service:
In honor of the "Sorrowful Mother of Föching", the parish will celebrate a festive service on Saturday, October 23 at 7:00 pm.
The clubs participate with flag delegations.
