St Mary’s Shrine

Since the late Middle Ages, shrines have served as expressions of popular devotion. Typically placed along roadsides and footpaths, they offered places of prayer and reflection for those departing the town.

The small, late medieval statue of the Virgin Mary originally stood in a niche within the Engertor Gate, which no longer exists. It is believed that a major fire in the early 18th century caused significant damage to the structure, prompting the relocation of the statue to a new shrine.

This was built into the enclosure wall of the former sexton's garden, at the corner of Engerstraße and Burgstraße (see marker in the accompanying photograph).

An old stone tablet inscribed in Latin, also referencing the fire, remains preserved. As translated by Gerhard Terwelp, the inscription reads:

The city builds this house for you,
O gentle Virgin, extinguish
The embers of the fire; in your goodness,
Mary, always protect us.

During the restoration of the historic old town, the junction of Engerstraße and Burgstraße was also redesigned. In 1977, the shrine was carefully returned to its original location.