Maria Eich

The origins of Maria Eich date back to the early 18th century, when the blacksmiths' sons Franz and Kaspar Thallmayr from Planegg placed a Loreto Marian image into a hollow oak tree between 1710 and 1712. A miraculous recovery in 1733 led to the establishment of a Marian pilgrimage. By 1734, a protective hut was erected around the tree, which was replaced in 1742 by a masonry church building. This church was consecrated in 1768 and later expanded with side chapels, an outdoor altar, and a pulpit. A hermitage for hermits, who also served as sacristans, organists, and school teachers, was built in 1745. A notable event occurred in 1775 when Elector Max III. Joseph spared a deer at the chapel during a hunt, an event later commemorated by a plaque. In the 19th century, the outdoor altar and pulpit were relocated, and Stations of the Cross were erected along the pilgrimage route from Munich. At the request of Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber, the Augustinian Hermits took over pastoral care in 1953 and built a monastery and a winter church between 1954 and 1958, which was consecrated in 1958. This church was enlarged in 1966 and redesigned between 2007 and 2008, adding new windows and a Madonna sculpture. Currently (as of 2021), extensive renovation and expansion work is underway at the monastery and pilgrimage site, scheduled for completion in 2023.

Maria Eich Monastery is situated in the municipality of Planegg, in the district of Munich, in the state of Bavaria, Germany. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

Today, Maria Eich is an active Augustinian monastery with a pilgrimage church. The convent consists of several fathers and a brother. The oak tree with the Marian image remains visible in a rotunda behind the high altar and serves as a place for petitions for grace. The pilgrimages, which peaked in the 18th century and increased in the 19th century from the Würmtal and Munich, continue to this day. The Sunday service attracts an average of 300 visitors.

• Planegg Castle (Castle, approx. 1112 m away)
• Freiham Castle (Castle, approx. 3323 m away)
• Fußberg Castle (Castle, approx. 4338 m away)
• Moosschwaige Manor (Manor House, approx. 5226 m away)