Pilgrimage to Our Lady

The origin of the Sanctuary of Our Lady at Mariastein goes back to the first half of the 14th century. The Shrine of Our Lady was first mentioned 1434, but the shrine must have existed at least a generation earlier. The occasion for the origin of a place of pilgrimage at Mariastein was given when a small boy had fallen from the precipice down into the valley and was wonderfully saved from being hurt by the holy Virgin Mary. The legend embellished it: A mother with her little son was tending cattle on the ground where the monastery now stands. It was summertime and hot. She went down into the cave below where she fell asleep. In the meantime the boy playing around, fell over the edge of the cave some 50 metres down into the valley below. Waking up, the mother looked for her boy and, having a presentiment of what could have happened, fearing the worst, went down to the valley. There she found him picking flowers, as he said, for the beautiful Lady that had caught him up in her arms. He was unhurt and told his mother about his miraculous rescue and that the Lady wished to be venerated in the cave above. The sequel was that the cave was transformed into a chapel.