During our trip to Bavaria to see the Oberammergau Passion Play, we spent a couple of nights in the pilgrimage town of Altötting, about an hour’s drive east of Munich. I’ve heard that Altötting is as significant in Germany as Lourdes is in France for pilgrims.

Over the three days of Pentecost, 30,000 people gather in Altötting for a candle-lit procession around the town square. However, during our stay, the town was much quieter, making it a pleasant, picturesque, and relaxing place to visit for a couple of days.

We stayed at Hotel Zur Post, located right on the main square. We first tried some Bavarian specialties for lunch at the cafes around the square and then wandered around to get our bearings. We didn’t explore the many churches that afternoon since we had a guided walking tour scheduled for the next morning.

The heart of the town is the small Chapel of Mercy at one end of the town square, which houses the shrine to the Black Madonna. This small black statue of the Madonna and baby Jesus is dressed in richly embroidered robes. The Black Madonna is believed to have performed many miracles, with a legend dating back to the 15th century when a drowned child was revived after his mother prayed to the Madonna.

The chapel has an ambulatory or covered walkway around its exterior, with walls and roof covered by small pictures depicting miracles experienced by those who prayed there, all with the phrase “Maria Hat Geholfen” (Maria has helped). You can also see a collection of crutches and leg braces discarded by those cured of their ailments. Wooden crosses are available in the walkway, and the faithful carry a cross three times around the perimeter while praying for forgiveness.

The interior of the chapel is painted black, a color originally created from candle soot but now maintained through painted walls. In front of the altar are two large solid silver statues. The one on the right was commissioned by Emperor Karl Albrecht after his son recovered from a fatal illness and weighs 41 pounds, the same as his son. Opposite kneels the silver statue of Saint Conrad of Parzham, the sexton of St Anna’s Capuchin monastery, who is buried in St Conrad’s church.

Inside the shrine, the dark walls are covered by silver ornaments, and silver caskets containing the hearts of the Kings of Bavaria from the Wittelsbach dynasty hang from the ceiling. This is why Altötting is called the ‘Heart of Bavaria’ by Pope Benedict XVI, who was born nearby in Marktl and has a close connection to the town.

After starting our tour beside the shrine, we followed our guide around the many churches of the town, built over centuries to accommodate pilgrims. Our guide shared stories and anecdotes that brought the town to life for us. After the 30 Years’ War ended in 1670, the townspeople created the current large open square. There were plans to build a larger dome over the small chapel, but the money ran out, so the chapel remained unchanged, and a larger church was built in 1876 alongside it.

Our guide pointed out the metal cockerel on top of the steeple, placed there to remind of what Jesus said to Peter: “before the cock crows you will have betrayed me three times.” Candles are not allowed inside the chapel for fear of fire, so they are lit at a small kiosk near the front.

We next visited the church of St Philip and Jacob, where our guide pointed out that the ornate and brightly colored statues of the saints are traditionally carved from wood and then lacquered. At the back of the church is the much-photographed Tod von Eding clock with a statue of the Grim Reaper on top, swinging slowly from side to side, reminding everyone of the number of people who died from the plague and during the 30 Years’ War.

In the basilica, we paused in front of photos of men from the town killed during World War II. Our guide shared that he had six brothers, three of whom were killed in the war, calling it a “Crazy War.”

I particularly liked the interior of the church of St Conrad, part of the monastery where Saint Conrad of Parzham was a Capuchin friar. He died in 1894 and was beatified in 1934. This church was much simpler compared to the other ornate churches. The remains of the saint are interred in a life-size metal statue at the base of the altar, with his skull on display. We saw the small room where the Saint slept as a doorkeeper at the church. Outside was a water fountain from a statue of the Saint, with a steady stream of people filling their water bottles, as the water is considered holy, flowing over the saint’s finger bone in a casket.

Just outside the church of St Conrad, our guide pointed out a small tree known as the Pope’s Linden tree, planted by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Altötting in 1980. Although there was no time in the schedule for the Pope to stop and plant the tree, he found someone who spoke Polish to have a quiet word with the Pope, who then agreed to stop and plant it. Our guide showed us a photo of him meeting the Pope and the rosary given to him by Pope John Paul II, which many people instinctively reached out to touch.

With many other interesting stories, our tour covered all the churches of Altötting. At the end of our tour, we took an optional visit to the Jerusalem Panorama at Altötting. This panoramic painting, created by Professor Gebhard Fugel in 1903, depicts Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’s death with different scenes from the Crucifixion around the walls. Standing in the center, the audio-guide narrated the scenes, making it an interesting addition to our pilgrimage tour.

There are several walking and cycling trails around Altötting, including the Benedict Route, which takes cyclists 248 km around towns significant to Pope Benedict XVI’s childhood and youth. The town is also worth visiting during Advent and Christmas, with a Christmas market on the chapel square and many advent concerts in the churches.