Our Lady of Absam

Our Lady of Absam (*Unsere Liebe Frau von Absam*, also known as the *Absamer Gnadenbild*) is a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary that appeared on a windowpane in the Tyrolean village of Absam on January 17, 1797. The image, etched into glass rather than painted, shows the sorrowful face of a woman with an oriental-style veil and a tear falling from her right eye. Since its transfer to the parish church of St. Michael on June 24, 1797, the image has been the object of continuous veneration and is considered Tyrol's most important Marian shrine. ## History of the Apparition On January 17, 1797, eighteen-year-old Rosina Buecher was sewing at the family table in their farmhouse in Absam between three and four o'clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, she noticed an image of a woman's face appearing on the inner pane of the window. She called her mother, and both concluded that the image depicted the Virgin Mary. Rosina's father and sixteen-year-old brother Johann were working in the Halltal salt mines at the time. Her mother initially feared the apparition portended an accident. Both men returned safely that Thursday evening, having narrowly escaped a collapse in the mine. Johann Buecher's testimony, given in 1857 at age seventy-six, preserved crucial details: when his mother attempted to wipe the image with a cloth, it disappeared while wet but reappeared when the glass dried. ## Scientific Investigation The parish priest removed the windowpane for examination. University of Innsbruck experts—mathematician Franz von Zollinger, chemistry professor Dr. Schöpfer, fresco painter Josef Schöpf, and glaziers Schwänninger and Appeller—conducted tests. Their findings: the image disappeared when submerged in water but reappeared when dry; it could be partially removed by polishing with tripel (diatomaceous earth) but revived; and no external manipulation was detected. The official conclusion stated that while "a completely natural cause can be assumed, the natural effect is not to be equated with a miracle." Despite official ecclesiastical skepticism—Bishop Lodron of Brixen denied permission for a separate chapel—the faithful remained devoted. ## Translation to the Church On June 24, 1797, the people of Absam carried the miraculous windowpane in solemn procession to the parish church of St. Michael, accompanied by the ringing of all the town's bells. The popular cry was: "Where there is a son, there must also be a mother!" The image, measuring approximately 5" × 7" (13 × 18 cm), was initially placed on the high altar and is now enshrined on the southern side altar (*Gnadenaltar*) in a neo-baroque tabernacle structure dating from 1894. ## Pilgrimage History In the first year alone, fourteen votive tablets were donated. On April 2, 1797, the Tyrolean victory at Spinges during the Napoleonic Wars was attributed to Our Lady's intercession, greatly boosting devotion. By 1799, the pilgrimage had reached its first peak. A printed litany and prayers to the "Wundervollen Mutter Gottes zu Absam" appeared in 1801. In 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I and Empress Maria Anna made a pilgrimage to Absam; two imperial medals from that year are preserved at the sanctuary. The pilgrimage was banned during the Nazi regime (1938–1945) but resumed after the war. In 1947, a youth pilgrimage marking the 150th anniversary drew 20,000 pilgrims giving thanks for the war's end and praying for POW return. On June 24, 2000, Pope John Paul II elevated the church to Basilica Minor status—the first non-monastic church in Tyrol to receive this honor—recognizing Absam as Tyrol's most important Marian pilgrimage site. ## Papal Connection Pope Benedict XVI's parents, Joseph Ratzinger Sr. and Maria Peintner, were married in Absam. His grandparents also married there. According to Georg Ratzinger (Benedict's brother), the Pope had a special devotion to Our Lady of Absam through his family's connection to the shrine. ## Feast Days - **January 17** — Feast of the Apparition (*Erscheinungstag*) - **June 24** — Feast of the Translation of the Image - **First Sunday of each month** — Monthly pilgrimage with blessing of the sick ## 🔗 Related Places - [**Absam**](https://www.destinationes.com/pilgrimage/absam) — The Tyrolean village where the miraculous image appeared and is now enshrined in the Basilica of St. Michael