Trautmannshofen - Pilgrimage Church of the Name of Mary

The village of Trautmannshofen is part of the town of Lauterhofen in the district of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz. Already around 1382 there was a "church of Our Lady" in Trautmannshofen, which had existed "for a long time". The actual origins cannot be precisely determined, but are usually linked to the pastoral care of the Litzlohe monks around 1190.

In 1432, according to legend, the Hussites threw the image of the Virgin Mary into the fire three times in the Trautmannshofen church, but each time it returned to the altar. The legend is also depicted on the vault of the church.

On October 4, 1504, the church was burned by the troops of Nuremberg during the Landhut War of Succession. Another fire occurred in 1561.

It is not known who rebuilt it later. Trautmannshofen was Catholic until 1544, then Lutheran until 1583 and Calvinist until 1625.

In 1631 the Swedes burned down the Frühmeßner house, which is also considered to be the event of the pilgrimage.

After that, the Catholic religion was reintroduced in Upper Palatinate. As one of the Marian pilgrimage sites in Upper Palatinate, the church became very popular.

In gratitude for the end of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Elector Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria (1636-1679) built the pilgrimage church of Mary of Victory (Marie vom Siege), which is still commemorated by the coat of arms on the triumphal arch. Construction of the church was probably started in 1655 and completed in 1666. Only the medieval tower remains from the original church. The building was consecrated in 1667; the altar and pulpit were made in 1659 by the sculptor Georg Wirsching.

Ten years later, however, the church had to be completely rebuilt, the reasons for which are unknown.

In 1686, on 4 June 1686, a contract was concluded with Leonhard Dientzenhofer to draw up plans for the further rebuilding of the church. The building work was subsequently carried out by Georg Dientzenhofer until his death in February 1689, when Wolfgang Dientzenhofer took over the building and completed it in October 1689. According to legend, Leonhard wanted the commission but never built the church himself and left it to his brothers.

In October 1689, the final report stated that the pulpit was finished and the construction of the high altar was well advanced, the glazing of the windows was complete, the church floor was covered with a covering of 2,100 hexagonal white stones from St. Salvator, the confessionals were decorated with panelling and the more elaborate pews in the first rows were commissioned from cabinetmakers from Lauterhofen (Leonard Dörr and David Riepel).

The organ was built by Hans Conradt Vogl, and for the hitherto missing high altar the electoral government was to determine the author and the motif. The name of the painter is unknown, but sources suggest that it was the court painter Johann Andreas Wolf.

The church was then consecrated on 15 August 1691.

The cost of the new building was partly covered by the parish and the authority. Money from the building tax from various authorities and church foundations was used for the construction of the church.

The organ was restored in 1744 by Johann Baptist Funtsch.

From the 1760s onwards, the church was decorated with Baroque and Rococo works, such as frescoes by J. M. Wild, and the new chancel and organ case were renovated.

In 1781, Pope Pius VI issued two breves granting plenary indulgences for the "main feast - the Name of the Virgin Mary - and the other seven Marian feasts", and every pilgrim who visits the church in Trautmannshofen once a year receives a plenary indulgence.

The Church of Our Lady is a colonnaded church with a choir tower built in 1655-66 on the site of the original little church and preserving the original Gothic tower.

In 1686-1689 it was rebuilt according to the project of Leonhard Dientzenhofer and under the direction of Georg and Wolfgang Dientzenhofer. The church is complemented by a massive cemetery wall with two gates, probably dating from the 16th century.

The confessionals are decorated with panelling and the more elaborate pews in the front rows were commissioned from Lauterhofen cabinetmakers (Leonard Dörr and David Riepel).

The organ was built by Hans Conradt Vogl and restored in 1744 by Johann Baptist Funtsch.

The name of the painter of the high altar is unknown, but sources suggest that it was the court painter Johann Andreas Wolf.

From the 1860s onwards, the church was decorated with Baroque and Rococo works such as the frescoes by J.M. Wild and the organ case.

In 1947, Trautmannshofen was separated from the mother parish of Litzlohe and elevated to an independent parish.

Since its construction in the mid-17th century, the pilgrimage church in Trautmannshofen has repeatedly undergone major renovations. Between 1960 and 1964, external and internal renovations were carried out. The last major renovation took place between 2005 and 2007.