The miraculous story of Our Lady of Einsiedeln

Located south of Zurich at an elevation of about 3,000 ft is one of the most ancient and revered holy places in Europe. The shrine located here dates from sometime in the 9th century, when a hermit from one of the local monasteries, Saint Meinrad, built a hermitage on what was then open countryside, and brought with him a wooden statue of the Madonna and Child.

Saint Meinrad was known for giving hospitality to strangers, but unfortunately that led to his death. In January 861, he took in two rather rough-looking travelers and fed them. It turned out that they were thieves, and when they saw he had nothing of value, they beat him to death.

Then, in 940, some of the Benedictine Monks turned the hermitage into a small chapel where the statue was kept. When the church was due to be consecrated on September 14, 948 two bishops kneeling before the altar suddenly saw Christ standing at the altar with angels and saints beside Him! Then, when one of the Bishops tried to consecrate the church, one of the angels held him back announcing that Christ had already consecrated the church the night before. September 14th is now the feast of Our Lady of Einsiedeln and a great day of celebration in the village.

The statue brought by Saint Meinrad was kept in the church but both the chapel and the statue were destroyed in a fire in 1465, so the statue you see there today is a replica. It is still a source of great devotion, however, and has been blackened by so many candles over the years that is now referred to as the “Black Madonna” as are many others throughout the world. Many miracles have been credited to this devotion and the shrine attracts several hundred thousand pilgrims each year.

Adapted from The Catholic Travel Guide