Page 68 - Bulletin, Vol.83 No.2, September 2024

pilgrimage in Switzerland and beyond, being the Swiss part of the Way of St. James,
leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

The Abbey dominates the small town of Einsiedeln and is practically invisible until you
approach it. But once you have seen it – it will leave you speechless for several minutes
– this is how a huge place suddenly opens up to you, unimaginable in such a small
town. The building is indeed grandiose and colossal, and that is why it will take you
some time to realize the gigantism of the place. Go around first, before entering it.

You will see the Fountain of Mary or the Lady Foundaine (Marienbrunnen) in the middle,
with the golden statue of Mary towering over it. Get closer and you will see the 14 outlet
sprouts, they contain holy water which would come from the sacred spring found by
Meirand. Legend says that you should drink from all 14 sprouts, which will guarantee a
long life. You will see people making a circle while trying to drink from the 14 sprouts,
hoping for the miracle of longevity. There are two more sacred springs - you will see
them closer to the building if you look around carefully. And another spring is inside the
Abbey shop, you can take the holy water home in any of them.

Now it's time to enter the building. You will be impressed by what you see there. In any
case, no matter how religious or spiritual you are, you will be totally overwhelmed by the
breathtaking and absolutely stunning architecture inside. The cathedral is pink, you will
see all shades of pink, and it is like a museum filled with masterpieces of the arts.

But this is not the way it looked long ago. In its present architecture, it was built over
several centuries and finished in 1719 with the Baroque ornamentation completed in
1734. Later, under French occupation some things were destroyed in the Abbey. Its
main part – the Chapel of Graces – was completely rebuilt in 1817 in the neoclassical
style on the remaining parts of the old structure.

When Meinrad had first come to the forest of Einsiedeln, he had brought along one of
the mysterious Black Madonna statue, considered by many scholars to be Christianized
pagan Dark Goddess. After Meinrad's death a small Benedictine cloister was built at the
site of his hermitage and this cloister, called the Gnadenkapelle, i.e. Chapel of Grace.
Today the Chapel of Grace houses a mid-15th century Black Madonna icon (the earlier
icon having been destroyed in a fire) and it is the primary object of pilgrimage. The
Chapel stands directly upon the site of Meinrad's original hermitage, which is believed
to have been consecrated by Christ himself when he miraculously appeared on
September 14, 948. From that time on, September 14th is the day of the great
pilgrimage from all over the world to Einsiedeln.

People come there to see the Black Madonna, but also for healing. It is believed that
simply looking at her will have a healing and protective effect. Try to experience it for
yourself. And if you are lucky enough to visit it without crowds, try to sit opposite her in
the silence of the place. I assure you that you will experience a special feeling no matter
how religious you are or not at all. There is definitely a strong energy coming from her
and this Chapel of Grace, as well as the entire place. It is also interesting (and no less
mysterious) that the Black Madonna changes her dress. I can't tell you what outfit she
will meet you in. During my three visits, each time she presented him to me in different

66 AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 83 No. 2, 2024-09

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