Kloster Marienthal

The origins of the pilgrimage site of Marienthal date back to the early 14th century. In 1309, the miraculous healing of a blind hunter before an image of Mary in the forest is said to have established its veneration. For this image of Mary, a Pietà, a chapel was built in 1313. Due to the rapid influx of pilgrims and numerous reports of healings, a larger church was constructed from 1326 onwards, consecrated on September 8, 1330. Initially, secular priests served there. In the 15th century, the pilgrimage experienced a decline until 1463, when Brothers of the Common Life took over the church. They fostered spiritual and economic prosperity, including the establishment of a printing press. Around 1550, the Fraterherren left Marienthal due to the influence of the Reformation and economic difficulties. Between 1568 and 1601, Augustinian Canons resided at the monastery. In 1612, the complex was handed over to the Jesuits, who renovated the buildings and brought the pilgrimage to new prominence, intensified by the plague epidemic of 1626 in the Rheingau. However, the Thirty Years' War also brought destruction. After a period of Baroque flourishing, this era ended with the suppression of the Jesuit Order in 1773. The miraculous image was transferred to the parish church in Geisenheim, and the demolition of the pilgrimage church, which began in 1782, was halted after a fatal accident. The church remained a ruin. In 1846, Prince Metternich acquired the monastic complex. In cooperation with Bishop Peter Joseph Blum of Limburg and a Prussian nobleman, the church was restored. On September 8, 1858, the miraculous image returned in a solemn procession, and Bishop Blum reconsecrated the church. Since 1873, with an interruption during the Kulturkampf, Franciscans have provided pastoral care for pilgrims. Their community was elevated to a regular monastery in 1908.

The Marienthal Monastery is situated in a clearing in the Rheingau-Taunus district of Hesse, at an elevation of approximately 200 meters. The Elsterbach stream flows through the monastic grounds. The monastery is connected to the nearby Marienthal district of Geisenheim via district road 984.

The monastic complex houses a community of Franciscans who are responsible for pilgrim pastoral care. The pilgrimage church serves as a central point of attraction for believers and visitors.

• Nothgottes Monastery (sacred building, approx. 1748 m away)
• Hansenberg Castle (castle, approx. 1826 m away)
• Schwarzenstein Castle (castle, approx. 2234 m away)
• St. Hildegard's Abbey (Rüdesheim) (sacred building, approx. 2438 m away)