The Pilgrimage Church in the Meadow

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From the 'church on a hill' which I wrote about last time, we went on to the 'church in a meadow'. The church is located in the foothills of the Alps in Bavaria, south-west Germany. 'Wiese' is German for 'meadow'. My ancestors are German and my mother's maiden name is Wiese so I was interested in the Wieskirche or Pilgrimage Church of Wies. There is also a river Wiese. A sign in the old chapel tells us that in 1738, Maria Lori, owner of a small farmstead 'in der Wies' (in the meadow, was given a wooden figure of Christ for private devotion. In June, tears appeared on the face of the sculpture, leading to a rush of pilgrims to the site. In 1740 a small chapel was built and the figure placed on the altar. However the chapel erected to house the statue was much too small for the numbers flocking to the region and an oval rococo church was designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. Between 1745 and 1754, the church was constructed and decorated with frescoes and stuccowork. A number of miracles are said to have occurred after praying for intercession in front of the statue. In 1983 the Wieskirche was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. Extensive restoration was carried out between 1985 and 1991. More work was going on while we were there. There were crowds of people there and a number of tourist coaches. We had a simple lunch at the side of the church. I took a photo of another wooden fence which stands with the aid of wire or nails. And a shadow clock which I thought was interesting.