Wies Church - Germany

Unesco's Science, Education and Culture Organization recognized the Wies Church of Germany as a World Cultural Heritage in 1983.

Wies Church - World cultural heritage in Germany

The Wies Church, fully known as the Wies Pilgrimage Church, is located on a low hill at the foot of the Alps , in Steingaden, the Weiheim-Schongau, Bavaria state of Germany.

The reason Wies church is called a pilgrim church is because this is the destination of Christians from many different regions. Local legend states that: In 1738, an indigenous woman saw tears streaming down from a wooden statue of a goddess Goliu . The statue made of wood was very old and rickety however, after the story was told it quickly spread throughout the region and to the surrounding areas. Since then, the number of people coming to this area and praying before the statue of Lord Giesu has increased more and more. Among them, many people claim that their wishes have come true. Many people assert that they have escaped from serious illnesses by praying in front of the statue. So for some time later, this legend became a divine story and thousands of people flocked here to wait for the miracle of the Lord.

The number of pilgrims increased rapidly so in 1740, local people contributed to building a small chapel containing a holy statue. However, this chapel soon proved to be a fact that it was too small for pilgrims to find. For that reason, the monastery of Steingaden - a large monastery in the region at that time decided to invite architect Dominikus Zimmermann to design a private church from the site of the chapel.

Architect Dominikus Zimmermann, who devoted 11 years to his life, designed and completed the Wies pilgrimage church structure. The construction was carried out starting from 1745 to 1479, basically completed and put into operation. However, the constructions and the decoration of the church continued to be performed many years later and only really completed in 1754. After the construction was completed, the architecture of Dominikus Zimmermann decided to leave the city. Landsberg is where he is settling down to live near the Wies church - mastering his career. He built a new house and lived here until his death in 1766.

Wies Church was designed and constructed by Dominikus Zimmermann in a semicircle , the main door is facing the west. Inside the church is supported by large pillars, the dome covers the pillars. The light was taken from the large windows, the architect cleverly calculated that the light when passing through the window gap was widely diffused enough for the entire interior of the church.

The architecture of Dominikus Zimmermann, when he spoke of the church, said: "You have put all your strength to design and build this church so that the supernatural phenomenon and the divine story of the watery statue of Goliath can be found." eyes are realized here.

The interior with the magnificent architecture is paid attention to the smallest detail inside the church, making the mystic and divine reality the most obvious. This architecture is not only the pride of Bayern state but also Germany
Another special thing that cannot be said is that the building was built according to the local construction and the use of materials available in the area. If outside the church is a not too sophisticated, magnificent architecture, when entering the church, everyone must be surprised by the splendor and splendor. From the pillars, the walls, the dome is vividly decorated with countless sophisticated paintings, reliefs and carvings . The large mural still in the church is made by the famous Bavarian artist - painter Max Emmanuel . Present inside the church are unique works of art including paintings, statues and reliefs. All are done by top artists in the region so no one can deny the beauty at this church.

In the early 19th century, the state of Bavaria intended to sell the church, but it was met with fierce opposition from the people. Therefore this unique church has been preserved intact to this day.

After being recognized as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1983, Wies Pilgrimage Church was invested to restore, preserve and this work was carried out from 1985 to 1991.