1876

In 1876,

In 1876, a major event marks the place of Marian devotion.

On July 3rd, the day after the coronation of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Virgin Mary, seated in a rose bush,

manifests herself in the "Härtel-Forest" to three little girls of Marpingen, all eight years old.

On July 4th she introduces herself as the Immaculate Conception and demand to "pray and not to sin."

As it happened in Lourdes she seeks the construction of a chapel (the vow was performed in 1932).

On the top of the forest, she provides a source for the sick.

Next to it is a second chapel built in honor of the Most Holy Trinity.

Celestial visits last more than a year until September 1877.

During this time thousands of pilgrims flock to the site to draw water because they considered

this water blessed by Our Lady and beneficial for their health. Many cures are authenticated.

But the dark hours of the Kulturkampf and the World Wars will stifle the heavenly manifestations.

The hope of the people did not bend so far and each time when it was calmer, pilgrims continued to visit

this little Marian shrine.