A pilgrimage church () is a church to which pilgrimages are regularly made, or a church along a pilgrimage route, like the Way of St. James, that is visited by pilgrims.
Pilgrimage churches are often located by the graves of saints, or hold portraits to which miraculous properties are ascribed or saintly relics that are safeguarded by the church for their veneration. Such relics may include the bones, books or pieces of clothing of the saints, occasionally also fragments of the cross of Jesus, pieces of the crown of thorns, the nails with which he was fixed to the cross and other similar objects. Pilgrimage churches were also built at places where miracles took place.
List of Roman Catholic pilgrimage churches
Churches are listed in alphabetical order of the sites in or near where they are located.
Austria
Ardning, Styria: Pilgrimage Church of Frauenberg (Wallfahrtskirche Frauenberg an der Enns) Bad Leonfelden, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Schutz am Bründl (Katholische Kirche Maria Schutz) Berg bei Rohrbach, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Trost (Wallfahrtskirche Maria Trost) Bergheim near Salzburg: Maria Plain Christkindl, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Christkindl (Wallfahrtskirche Christkindl) Fernitz, Styria: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Trost (Wallfahrtskirche Maria Trost Fernitz) Gaflenz, Upper Austria: St. Sebald am Heiligenstein Graz, Styria: Mariagrüner Kirche, Graz Graz, Styria: Mariatrost Basilica Gurk, Carinthia: Gurk Cathedral (grave of Saint Hemma of Gurk) Gutenstein, Lower Austria: Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Wallfahrtskirche Hilfreiche Jungfrau Maria auf dem Mariahilfberg) Heiligengrab, Bleiburg, Carinthia Horn, Lower Austria: Maria Dreieichen Kaltenberg, Upper Austria Kaltenbrunn, Tyrol Linz, Upper Austria: Pöstlingberg Maria Dornach (Mitteldorf), Großkirchheim, Carinthia Maria Gail, Villach Maria Hilf ob Guttaring, Carinthia Maria Laach am Jauerling, Lower Austria Maria Loreto, Saint Andrew i. L., Carinthia Maria Rain, Carinthia St Mary's Church, Maria Saal, Carinthia Maria Schmolln, Upper Austria Pilgrimage Church of Maria Schnee (Maria Luggau), Lesachtal, Carinthia Maria Schnee (at about ten places in Austria and several places in Germany and neighbouring countries) Mariastein, Tyrol Maria Taferl (most important pilgrimage site in Lower Austria) Maria Waitschach, Guttaring, Carinthia Mariazell, Styria – which in 2003–2005 was the venue for the Central European Catholics Day Molln, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Frauenstein Pottenstein: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Trost im Elend Poysdorf, Lower Austria: Maria Bründl Saalfelden, Salzburg: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Kirchenthal Sankt Jakob im Rosental, Carinthia: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Elend St. Wolfgang, Upper Austria Pilgrimage Church of St. Wolfgang ob Grades, Metnitz, Carinthia Schollach, Lower Austria: Maria Steinparz Seggauberg, Styria: Pilgrimage Church on the Frauenberg near Leibnitz Sonntagberg, Lower Austria Our Dear Lady, Hochfeistritz, Eberstein, Carinthia Zistersdorf, Lower Austria: Maria Moos (oldest spring shrine in Lower Austria)
Brazil Aparecida: great Marian sanctuary
Croatia Trsat, Dalmatia, Croatia: Pilgrimage Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, Cathedral of St Vitus
Czech Republic Chlum Svaté Maří Družec: pilgrimage church of St Mary of the Assumption Brno-Tuřany: pilgrimage church of Church of the Annunciation Příbram: Svatá Hora Abbey
France
Eschau: St Trophimus' Church with the relics of Sophia the Martyr and her daughters Faith, Hope and Charity Haguenau: Basilica of Our Lady of Marienthal Le Puy-en-Velay: pilgrimage church of Notre-Dame du Puy Lisieux: sanctuary of saint Teresa of the Child Jesus Lourdes: site of Marian apparitions with the healing spring Neuwiller-lès-Saverne: Église Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, with the relics of local saint Adelphus Marseille: pilgrimage church of Notre-Dame de la Garde Mont St. Michel: St. Michel Paray-le-Monial: sanctuary of saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Sacred Heart Paris: Sainte-Chapelle with the Crown of Thorns, Catherine Labouré of Lady of Miraculous Medal Ronchamp: pilgrimage chapel of Notre Dame du Haut
Germany
Abensberg (Bavaria): Pilgrimage Church of St Mary of the Assumption in the village of Allersdorf Abtsgmünd: pilgrimage church of the Sacrifice of Mary (Mariä Opferung) in the village of Hohenstadt Aldenhoven: chapel of grace, parish church, Marian pilgrimage Altötting: Shrine of Our Lady, Marian pilgrimage Andechs: Pilgrimage Church of St. Nicholas and St. Elizabeth, Maria pilgrimage, eucharistic pilgrimage Amberg: Pilgrimage Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Armsheim (Rheinhessen): former Pilgrimage church of the Precious Blood of Christ Beratzhausen: pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Bergen bei Neuburg: pilgrimage church of the Holy Cross Berlin-Mariendorf: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Frieden Beselich: Pilgrimage Chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Bettbrunn: pilgrimage church of St Salvator Biberbach: St. James the Great, St Lawrence and the Holy Cross - s Herrgöttle von Biberbach Birenbach: Pilgrimage Church of the Dolorous Mother of God Birkenstein: pilgrimage chapel of St Mary of the Assumption Blieskastel: Holy Cross Chapel, Madonna with the Pfeilen Bogen: Bogenberg, St Mary of the Assumption Bonn: Kreuzbergkirche Bruchhausen (Landkreis Neuwied): Marian pilgrimage church of St. John the Baptist (Zuflucht der Sünder) Bussen (Upper Swabia): pilgrimage church of St. John the Baptist Cologne: Cologne Cathedral - SS. Peter and Mary (Epiphany) Cologne: St. Maria in der Kupfergasse (Black Madonna of Cologne) Dahenfeld: St Remigius' Church Deggendorf: Pilgrimage Church of the Holy Sepulchre Deggingen (Upper Filst valley): Ave Maria (pilgrimage church) Dettelbach: pilgrimage church of Maria im Sand Dießen am Ammersee: Marienmünster church in the district of Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria Düren: St Anne's Church - veneration of the "head of Anna" - a head relic of the mother of Mary Durmersheim: pilgrimage church of Maria Bickesheim Eckartshausen (Werneck): pilgrimage church of the Visitation of Mary Eggerode: pilgrimage church of Birth of the Virgin Mary Eibingen: pilgrimage church of St. Hildegard and St. John the Baptisth - burial church of Saint Hildegard and sanctuary for the Eibingen relic treasure. Ellwangen: pilgrimage church of St. Mary of Loreto Elmstein: pilgrimage church of the Mother of God Engelberg: St. Michael over the Main Ettal, (Upper Bavaria): Pilgrimage Church of St Mary of the Assumption Ettenberg (Marktschellenberg): Pilgrimage Church of the Visitation of Mary Etzelsbach, (Thüringen): Pilgrimage chapel of Etzelsbach Fahrenberg: pilgrimage to the Holy Hill of the Visitation of Mary Freystadt: pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Friedberg: pilgrimage church of Herrgottsruh Fuchsmühl: pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Fürstenfeldbruck: Fürstenfeld Abbey dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mariä Himmelfahrt) in Bavaria Gößweinstein: Basilica, pilgrimage church and basilica of the Holy Trinity (Heilige Dreifaltigkeit) Gottsbüren (North Hesse) Haltern-Bergbossendorf: pilgrimage chapel of Saint Anne Hennef-Bödingen: Pilgrimage Church of the Dolorous Mother of God Herzfeld (Lippetal): pilgrimage church of St. Ida Hirschberg an der Bergstraße: pilgrimage church of St. John the Baptist Hohenpeißenberg: pilgrimage chapel and church on the Hoher Peißenberg Kälberau: pilgrimage church of Maria zum rauhen Wind Kevelaer: chapel of grace, candle chapel and St Mary's Basilica Kippenheim: pilgrimage chapel of Maria Frieden Klausen (Eifel): pilgrimage church of the Visitation of Mary Kleinenberg near Lichtenau in East Westphalia: pilgrimage chapel Koblenz-Arenberg: pilgrimage church of St. Nicholas with the Reverend Kraus' Assets (Landscape illustrated Bible) Koblenz-Lützel: pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Kößlarn: Marian pilgrimage (Bavaria) Küblingen (Lower Saxony): Pilgrimage Church of St. Mary Lautenbach: Late Gothic pilgrimage church of Coronation of the Virgin Leipferdingen: pilgrimage church of St. Michael Leverkusen-Alkenrath: Gezelin Chapel Löffingen (Baden-Württemberg): Witterschneekreuz Ludwigshafen am Rhein-Oggersheim: castle and Pilgrimage Church of St Mary of the Assumption (Ludwigshafen) - pilgrimage to the holy house of Loreto, Marche, pilgrimage site for the Electorate of the Palatinate Lünen: St Mary's Church Marienberg (Burghausen) Maria Gern (Berchtesgaden): Pilgrimage Church of Maria Gern Mainz-Gonsenheim: Nothelfer Chapel Maria Steinbach: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Steinbach Marienheide: pilgrimage church of the Visitation of Mary Marienthal (Westerwald) Marienweiher (Marktleugast): pilgrimage basilica the Visitation of Mary Moosbronn: pilgrimage church Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mussenhausen: Our Dear Lady of Mount Carmel Neunburg vorm Wald: Mater Dolorosa (Ortsteil Katzdorf, Oberpfalz) Neuss: Quirinusmünster (1209-1230) Nußdorf am Inn (Bavaria): the Visitation of Mary (Kirchwald) Nothgottes: Abbey near Eibingen in Rheingau, pilgrimage to the Gnadenbild Nothgottes Oberfell: Pilgrimage Church of Bleidenberg and Pilgerstein, hilltop pilgrimage to Holy Trinity Church Ottersweier: pilgrimage church of Maria Linden Ottobeuren: SS. Alexander and Theodore Pfaffen-Schwabenheim: Stiftskirche (Pfaffen-Schwabenheim), pilgrimage to the Maria, Königin des Friedens, um 1750 aus dem Cologneer Karmel St. Maria vom Frieden (Cologne) geschenkt Planegg: Maria Eich Chapel Raitenbuch: St. Blasius Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden: Maria Kunterweg
Rechberg near Schwäbisch Gmünd: St. Maria on the Hohenrechberg Regensburg: Alten Kapelle or Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady Regensburg (Kollegiatstift unserer Lieben Frau zur alten Kapelle) in Regensburg in Bavaria Remagen: Apollinaris Church Rengersbrunn: Statue of the Mother of God Reuth bei Erbendorf: Pilgrimage Church of St Mary of the Assumption in the village of Premenreuth Rieste (Lower Saxony): pilgrimage church of St. John the Baptist on the Lage, pilgrimage to the Lage Cross Rohr: Braunau in Rohr Abbey dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mariä Himmelfahrt) in Niederbayern in Bavaria Rütschenhausen: Pilgrimage Church of Maria von der Tann Rückers, county of Fulda: Roman Catholic Church of St Mary of the Assumption Saint Salvator (Rauenzell, Bavaria) formerly the oldest pilgrimage of the Diocese of Eichstätt Saint Bartholomew's: by the Königssee lake in Berchtesgaden Land Sandizell: St. Peter Church or Asamkirche Sandizell in Schrobenhausen in Bavaria Schmidmuehlen: Pilgrimage church of the Heiligen Dreifaltigkeit auf dem Kreuzberg Schönstatt (Vallendar): the Schoenstatt Shrine is an ancient shrine of the Schoenstatt Movement Schongau: pilgrimage church of St Mary of the Assumption Schwäbisch Gmünd: pilgrimage church of St. Salvator Schwandorf: Pilgrimage Church of Our Dear Lady of Kreuzberg Scheßlitz: pilgrimage church of Gügel Spaichingen: pilgrimage church on the Dreifaltigkeitsberg Spabrücken: pilgrimage church of the Black Madonna of Soon Bad Staffelstein: Pilgrimage Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers Steingaden: Steingaden Abbey in Bavaria, Germany Steinhausen: Sulzbach-Rosenberg (Upper Palatinate): Pilgrimage Church of Annaberg Swisttal-Buschhoven: Marian pilgrimage site with the "Rosa Mystica" Todtmoos (Black Forest): pilgrimage church of Our Dear Lady of Todtmoos
Tuntenhausen: Papal Basilica St Mary of the Assumption Uhldingen-Mühlhofen: Pilgrimage Church of Birnau Unterkochen: Marian pilgrimage church of Unterkochen
Velbert-Neviges: Maria, Königin des Friedens (Mary, Queen of Peace) Vierzehnheiligen: Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers Vilgertshofen: pilgrimage church of the Dolorous Mother of God