Pilgrimage church
Church building, site of Roman Catholic pilgrimage

A pilgrimage church (German: Wallfahrtskirche) is a church to which pilgrimages are regularly made, or a church along a pilgrimage route, like the Way of St. James, that is visited by pilgrims.
Pilgrimage churches are often located by the graves of saints, or hold portraits to which miraculous properties are ascribed or saintly relics that are safeguarded by the church for their veneration. Such relics may include the bones, books or pieces of clothing of the saints, occasionally also fragments of the cross of Jesus, pieces of the crown of thorns, the nails with which he was fixed to the cross and other similar objects. Pilgrimage churches were also built at places where miracles took place.
List of Roman Catholic pilgrimage churches
Churches are listed in alphabetical order of the sites in or near where they are located.
Austria
Ardning, Styria: Pilgrimage Church of Frauenberg (Wallfahrtskirche Frauenberg an der Enns)
Bad Leonfelden, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Schutz am Bründl (Katholische Kirche Maria Schutz)
Berg bei Rohrbach, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Trost (Wallfahrtskirche Maria Trost)
Bergheim near Salzburg: Maria Plain
Christkindl, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Christkindl (Wallfahrtskirche Christkindl)
Fernitz, Styria: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Trost (Wallfahrtskirche Maria Trost Fernitz)
Gaflenz, Upper Austria: St. Sebald am Heiligenstein
Graz, Styria: Mariagrüner Kirche, Graz
Graz, Styria: Mariatrost Basilica
Gurk, Carinthia: Gurk Cathedral (grave of Saint Hemma of Gurk)
Gutenstein, Lower Austria: Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Wallfahrtskirche Hilfreiche Jungfrau Maria auf dem Mariahilfberg)
Heiligengrab, Bleiburg, Carinthia
Horn, Lower Austria: Maria Dreieichen
Kaltenberg, Upper Austria
Kaltenbrunn, Tyrol
Linz, Upper Austria: Pöstlingberg
Maria Dornach (Mitteldorf), Großkirchheim, Carinthia
Maria Gail, Villach
Maria Hilf ob Guttaring, Carinthia
Maria Laach am Jauerling, Lower Austria
Maria Loreto, Saint Andrew i. L., Carinthia
Maria Rain, Carinthia
St Mary's Church, Maria Saal, Carinthia
Maria Schmolln, Upper Austria
Pilgrimage Church of Maria Schnee (Maria Luggau), Lesachtal, Carinthia
Maria Schnee (at about ten places in Austria and several places in Germany and neighbouring countries)
Mariastein, Tyrol
Maria Taferl (most important pilgrimage site in Lower Austria)
Maria Waitschach, Guttaring, Carinthia
Mariazell, Styria – which in 2003–2005 was the venue for the Central European Catholics Day
Molln, Upper Austria: Pilgrimage Church of Frauenstein
Pottenstein: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Trost im Elend
Poysdorf, Lower Austria: Maria Bründl
Saalfelden, Salzburg: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Kirchenthal
Sankt Jakob im Rosental, Carinthia: Pilgrimage Church of Maria Elend
St. Wolfgang, Upper Austria
Pilgrimage Church of St.
The public source identifies “Pilgrimage church” as church building, site of Roman Catholic pilgrimage. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Pilgrimage, church and Church.
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The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 16, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q10631691. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2003 and 2005.
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