The Benedictine Abbey St. Mauritius in Tholey is the oldest monastery foundation on German soil. There, where the abbey is found today, a Roman bath system used to be located in the 3rd century AD. Upon these remains, the French Deacon Grimo Adalgisel built a church, probably a simple wooden framed structure, and bequeathed it to the Bishop of Verdun in the year of 643. It is... More

The Blasius’ chapel in Bergweiler was built in the 13th century on the Blasiusberg hill of the same name. It is first mentioned in documentation dating to 1246 as being in possession of the Tholey monastery. The chapel is dedicated to St. Blasius and St. Theobert. Ending with the last century many pilgrims visited the chapel. The main pilgrimage day coincided with the... More

The Catholic parish church of Nonnweiler, locally also known as “Hochwalddom”, was built in the years 1900-1902 by the Mainz master cathedral builder L. Becker in neo-late Gothic style. The church is impressive due to its remarkable size, a total length of 33 meters, and the 54 meter high church steeple. The western steeple with its square towers and high slated spire... More

The chapel of St. Antonius in Selbach, also known as “Kathreinenkapelle”, was built in the 16th century. It is thought that it served as an outpost for a sovereignty of the watershed between the Nahe and the Blies. The tower is the oldest part of the chapel and was already built in the 13th century; the bell did not arrive until the year 1509. The completely preserved... More

The Wendelinusbasilika is near the Magdalenenkapelle (Chapel of St. Mary-Magdalena) in one of the oldest buildings in St. Wendel. Hardly anyone suspects an ancient chapel behind the present day Baroque façade. It is first mentioned in 1343 and is dedicated to the Saint Mary-Magdalena. Until the Basilica was complete, the relics of St. Wendelin were stored in the... More

The Marienverehrung (Adoration of the Virgin Mary) in Marpingen has been known since the 15th century. In July 1876 it reached a remarkable peak Germany-wide, as three 8-year old girls reported the apparition of the Mother of Christ in the Härtelwald forest. Soon after Marpingen was publicly known as the “German Lourdes”. Even today the Marienverehrungsstätte (site of the... More

In 1898 the missionary society of the Steyler Missionaries was founded by Father Arnold Janssen in St. Wendel and, following this, the mission was built. The anthropological museum and the mission library as well as the Arnold Jannsen Grammar School and the mission church belong to the complex. In 1905 Father Scholl drew up the first blueprints for the building of the church.... More

Since ancient times the 585 m high Peterberg mountain is considered to be a Wetterberg (weather mountain). In pre-Christian times it was dedicated to the God Donar, in later times it was referred to as being home to the Weather Witches. Throughout several centuries a sanctum, which was dedicated to the patron saint of weather Peter, used to be at the point where the chapel is... More

The St. Nepomukkapelle (Chapel of St. Nepomuk) was built as the castle chapel in 1743 by the nobleman Florent Joseph de Latre de Feignies. This was of particular importance for the population of Gonnesweiler as a cultural treasure and dominates the image of the area. In the course of the French Revolution, the Gonnesweiler castle was destroyed, the chapel, however, escaped... More

The Valentinskapelle (Chapel of St. Valentine) was built in its original style between 1761 and 1764 by the hermit Johann Nonninger. According to legend the reason for the construction was the death of a young Jew. Nonninger was, as a mariner from the town of Koblenz, responsible for the boy´s drowning and built the chapel with the hope of regaining his inner peace. In the... More

The Wendelinusbasilika in St. Wendel is the town’s landmark. It was built as a late-Gothic hall church in the 14th century as a result of the worshipping of St. Wendelin. A propelling force was the prince-elector Balduin of Trier who acquired the town in 1327 and expanded it to an economic and cultural center. In the mid-14th century the east choir was the first part to be... More

The Wendelinuskapelle (Chapel of St. Wendelin) was built in 1755 by Joseph Walter in a charmingly scenic location at the foot of the Bosenberg mountain. Particularly worth seeing are the Baroque altar and the open bell tower over the gateway. According to legend the chapel stands on the place where St. Wendelin lived as a hermit. Today many pilgrims still visit the chapel in... More