Virgin Mary the Sorrowful ( German: Maria in der Not) is a Catholic miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Niederdonk chapel ( Merbush , Germany ).
Virgin Mary the Mourning | |
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Front side of the image | |
Date of appearance | 2nd floor. XVII century |
Iconographic Type | Pieta |
Location | Niederdonk, Merbush (Buderich), Germany |
Honored Lists | are absent |
Celebration date | from September 2 week |
Content
General characteristics
This is a sculptural volumetric image of the seated Virgin , holding in her arms on her lap the deceased Jesus Christ removed from the Cross . A similar theme of the grief of the Mother of God, associated with the removal from the Cross and mourning of Jesus Christ, was widely spread in Germany at the beginning of the XIV century . The Pieta type originated on the Upper Rhine and in the Erfurt area. The sad gaze of the Virgin Mary attracts attention and leads to a prayer state . Images have become widely revered by the people. In those days, there was no family in which someone did not die during the plague or did not die in early childhood . People keenly felt their involvement in the tragedy of the Virgin. Her gaze gave comfort, courage and hope. This image remains to this day.
History
It is known that this image of the Virgin in the Netherlands is recognized as miraculous and revered from the second half of the 17th century . Officially - since 1677. [1] There is absolutely no information about where it was carved from oak and how it got into the chapel. Presumably, the image was made in the Cologne region. It is there that a similar type of the Virgin is widespread: with Christ's head thrown back strongly, excluding visual contact between mother and son.
In 1949, the sculptor Schmig (W. Schmieg), restoring the image, additionally decorated it with a lucid wreath and crown .
Pilgrimage
Every day, dozens of believing Catholics come to a miraculous image to light candles , pray and ask the Mother of God for blessings and health. On holidays, the number of pilgrims increases to hundreds, especially in the memorable week, celebrated on September 2.
On Saturdays, civil marriages and weddings are made here.
Since 2009, Orthodox pilgrims of the Russian Orthodox Church MP parish of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Dusseldorf have been visiting the chapel and the miraculous image.
The veneration of the Buderich Mother of God is spread far beyond the borders of Merbush. It is known that she was revered by the monks of the neighboring Monastery of Meer, but when the monastery was closed in 1802 and the monks began to look for a new place, they reached the Black Forest mountains and spread veneration of Our Lady of Buderich throughout their long journey. [2]
Notes
- ↑ Büderich-Niederdonk (p. 140 in J. Schlafke's Wallfahrt im Erzbistum Köln, 1989.
- ↑ Maria in der Not. Kapelle Niedeerdonk. (2007, p. 12)
Links
- Niederdonk Chapel Home Page (German)
- Joachim Kardinal Meisner hielt am Mittwoch die Festmesse zur Wiederöffnung der Niederdonker Kapelle. (inaccessible link) (German)
- TourTipps: Niederdonk (inaccessible link) (German)
- Wo Himmel und Erde sich berühren - ein Tag in und um die Niederdonker Kapelle (inaccessible link) (German)
- Büderich: Niederdonk ist ein Ort für stille Beter (German)
Sources
- Collection of authors. Virgin Mary the Sorrowful. Niederdonk Chapel (Maria in der Not. Kapelle Niederdonk). - Second edition. - Heimbach / Eifel: Bernardus-Verlag, 2007 .-- S. 10-12.
- Jakob Schlafke. Pilgrimages to the Archdiocese of Cologne (Wallfahrt im Erzbistum Köln). - Original edition. - Köln: E. Vey Verlag, 1989 .-- S. 140-141.