According to one story, a young shepherd boy was herding cattle with his mother in the field high on the rocky plateau where the complex now stands. While the mother sought sleep in a cave in the midday heat, the child ventured too close to the cliff while playing and fell down the steep rock face. When the mother woke up, she could no longer find her child and hurried into the valley. There she found her son healthy and safe. He told of his miraculous rescue by the Blessed Mother Mary, who had expressed the desire to be venerated in this cave.
This tradition stands at the beginning of Mariastein’s story like a promise: People who have lost their footing can hope – they will not be dropped! A second fall miracle in 1541 is historically guaranteed. And many thank you plaques remind us of the help and comfort that people here have received through Mary’s intercession.
