Pilgrimage to Telgte: Discover the Maria Chamber and more

History

The statue of mercy, the Pieta as a sorrowful Mother with her dead Son, was made from poplar wood by an unknown sculptor before 1348. The Pieta is the patroness of the fraternity “Liebfrauengilde” (Sister of the Virgin), of which there is mention in 1348. During a restoration of the statue in 1991, this information was discovered in the head. A document from 1479 shows that the statue of mercy bears a crown.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, on the 2nd Tuesday after Pentecost, the pieta was carried in a procession by members of the “Liebfrauengilde” (Lady of the Virgin Guild).

The first stone laying for the pilgrimage chapel took place on June 1, 1654 by Christoph Bernhard von Galen (1606-1678), Prince-Bishop of Münster (1650-1678). After the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), he recovered the church and its annexes from the Protestants. Von Galen encouraged the establishment and expansion of pilgrimages. He named Telgte as the most important pilgrimage destination of the Münsterland. The Baroque octagonal pilgrimage chapel was realized in 1657, according to the plan of the Danish architect Peter Pictorius the Elder (1626-1685). In 1657, Christoph Bernhard von Galen dedicated the pilgrimage chapel.

Since 1852, the pilgrimage from Osnabrück to Telgte has taken place on the second Sunday after the feast of Saints Peter and Paul in July. Approximately 10,000 pilgrims take part in this pilgrimage; it is the largest pilgrimage in the German-speaking area.

In 1902, a memorial is erected for the founder of the pilgrimages; Christoph Bernhard von Galen.

In 1904, Pius X, Pope in the years 1903-1914, born as Giuseppe Melchiore Sarto (1835-1914), authorized the statue of the patron saint to be crowned. It is Anton Fischer (1840-1912), cardinal (1903-1912) and archbishop of Cologne (1902-1912) who performed the coronation. It is then the 250th anniversary of the pilgrimage chapel, which was built in 1654.

On July 3, 2004, the coronation of the statue of grace was renewed by Gilberto Agustini (1922-20117), curial cardinal (2005-2017) and Reinhard Lettmann (1933-2013), bishop of Münster (1980-2008).

Pilgrimage site

The pilgrimage chapel stands between St. Clemens Church and the Religio Museum. The busy chapel is open daily. For many centuries, people have prayed at the statue of the Virgin to ask for help with their worries and needs. They hope for a miracle. Many ex votos show gratitude for the support received from Mary. The image of Mother and Son is almost 1.5 meters high. There are four services in the sanctuary every day.

In the pilgrimage site there are hundreds of ex votas, donated by people from all walks of life to Mary, such as silver votive offerings, paintings, necklaces, rings and bracelets. Silver eyes, legs and ears indicate healed body parts of the donors and were given out of gratitude to Our Lady.

The Pilgrim House (Pilgerhaus) is located in a former mill on the Ems River. Address: Kardinal-von-Galen-Platz 23, 48291 Telgte.

Near the Ems River there is a crossroad with large statues.

There is a pilgrimage museum called “Relgio”, address Herrenstrasse 1-2, 48291 Telgte, with information on www.museum-telgte.de.

Since 1988, the 750th anniversary of the city, on Ascension Day it is the “Carts pilgrimage” (pilgrimage by carriage) with dozens of decorated horse carts.

Telgte is a stop on a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

The Telgte Pilgrimage Guild (registered association, Bedevaartsgilde Telgte e.V.) is a legal entity and this organization supports the pilgrimages to the Pieta in Telgte.

Statue of mercy with oil lamps in the Mariakapel in Telgte

Every year, over 100,000 pilgrims visit Telgte and it is therefore the most important pilgrimage destination in the Münsterland region. Most of the pilgrims come from all over Germany, but some also come from Belgium and the Netherlands.

ACCESSIBILITY

Telgte is located on the Ems River, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, east of the city of Münster.

Address: Cardinal-von-Galen-Platz 3a, 48291 Telgte.

More information can be found at www.telgter-wallfahrt.de.

The church community St. Marien Telgte has the website www.st-marien-telgte.de.

Experience

Mariabild in the St. Clemens Church in Telgte

In the pilgrimage site in Telgte, pilgrims come to the statue of grace from the early 14th century and I belong to that group today.

First of all, I visit the Sint-Clemenskerk. There I see a large, crowned statue of Mary placed against a pillar. Mary’s Son rests on her right arm. Large, colorful stained-glass windows also depict Our Lady. In the church, a vesper image is placed in a niche. I am always emotionally involved when I see a pieta.

Next I go to the chapel of mercy to see the effigy of Mother Mary with her dead Son. This statue is in a separate chapel, which makes it a chapel within a chapel. The brown vesper statue has oil lamps hanging from it, which reminds me of the Holy House in Loreto, Italy. Mary is wearing a golden necklace with a golden medallion. People are praying in the chapel and I join them. Again I realize that I am a privileged person to be able to absorb so many impressions and thus to create appropriate texts for the Mary Room. Candles are burning and now some more lights have been added. With all this light, there is the prayer of some little children.

In the chapel of grace many ex votos are placed behind glass. What a tribute to Our Lady. What a great deal Mary means to people and with these thoughts I leave the chapel. In the pilgrimage site I find a prayer card from “Telgter Wallfahrt 2026 – Raum geben (give space). The beginning reads:
“Maria, the mother of sorrow from Telgte.”.
You have given God and life space-
in your body, your mind and your soul,
in their thoughts, words and works,
In your will and mind,
in your heart and in your emotions.”
In Dutch this translates to: Give space
“Maria, sorrowful Mother of Telgte.”.
You have given God and life space-
in your body, your mind and your soul,
in your thoughts, words and actions,
In your will and your mind,
in your heart and in your emotions.”

In the center of Telgte, Mary is even more present, as on a sundial and on top of the dome of the chapel of grace. An overview of the activities of the year hangs like a meter-sized canvas against a facade. There is much to do in this place, including large pilgrimages, a Mary Birth Market and Christmas stalls.

sun clock with Mother Dolorosa in Herrenstrasse in Telgte

On my walk through the town, I also come across a statue of Prince-Bishop Von Galen, the man who did so much for this Marian place. Later, I see a tall pillar with Mary and Child on top and references to places in Silesia, including Albendorf, where I was earlier. There are plaques with people declared blessed here. Against a facade, a green artwork has been attached with images of Mary and the Son. What beauty!

Stages of Christianity near the Marktplatz in Telgte

As I leave Telgte, I am convinced that this pilgrimage site has made a very deep impression on me and that it is one of the more beautiful Marian places I have visited.