Basilica of Notre-Dame, Marienthal

The Basilica of Notre-Dame, Marienthal (French: Basilique Notre-Dame de Marienthal), is a Catholic pilgrimage church dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus. Located in Marienthal, in the Bas-Rhin department of France, it is administratively situated in the town of Haguenau.

Basilica of Notre-Dame, Marienthal
Basilique Notre-Dame de Marienthal
Map
48°46′46.24″N 7°49′01.23″E / 48.7795111°N 7.8170083°E / 48.7795111; 7.8170083
LocationHaguenau
CountryFrance
DenominationCatholic
Websitehttp://basiliquemarienthal.fr/
History
StatusMinor basilica (since 1892)
Founded1250
Founder(s)Albert of Haguenau
DedicationMary, mother of Jesus
Architecture
Functional statusPilgrimage church
Architectural typebasilica
StyleGothic
Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking1863
Completed1866
Administration
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Strasbourg
Parishparoisse Saint Joseph de Marienthal

Pope Pius IX crowned the dolorous Marian image enshrined within in 1859. Pope Leo XIII elevated the status of the shrine to Minor basilica in 1892.[1]

The first sanctuary at this site was built around 1250 by the knight Albert of Haguenau (died in 1254), who had had a religious epiphany some ten years prior and had gathered a small community of faithful around him. This first sanctuary, called "Mary in the Valley", venerated a statue of the Madonna and Child which is not preserved today.[2] The two statues that are venerated today, a Madonna and Child and a Pietà, date from the early 15th century.[3] In the 18th century, the basilica also received precious gifts from queen consort Marie Leszczyńska.[4]

The current, spacious church was built in 1863–1866 in the Gothic Revival style, but keeps a Late Gothic sacristy from 1519, decorated with early Renaissance bosses, and elaborate works of art such as a Dormition of Virgin Mary, and an Entombment of Christ, carved in sandstone by the local master sculptor, Friedrich Hammer (also known as Fritz Hammer, or Frédéric Hammer).[5] Among the 19th-century works of art in the basilica figures a set of frescoes by Martin von Feuerstein (1889).[6]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "9. XIXe : un siècle de gloire". basiliquemarienthal.fr. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  2. ^ "1. Albert de Haguenau, fondateur de " Mariæ in valle "". basiliquemarienthal.fr/. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  3. ^ "3. Début du XVème siècle : origine des 2 statues de la Vierge". basiliquemarienthal.fr. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  4. ^ "7. Maria Leszinska, reine de France : sa dévotion à Notre-Dame de Marienthal". basiliquemarienthal.fr. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  5. ^ "2. 1257-1543 : une communauté de moines guillelmites dynamiques". basiliquemarienthal.fr. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  6. ^ "La basilique Notre-Dame-des-Douleurs de Marienthal à MARIENTHAL (67)". petit-patrimoine.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.