Editing Wieskirche (section)

== History and description ==
It is said that, in 1738, tears were seen on a dilapidated wooden figure of the [[Scourged Saviour]]. The legend of this miracle resulted in a [[pilgrimage]] rush to see the sculpture.<ref name = "unesco"/> In 1740, a small chapel was built to house the statue but it was soon realized that the building would be too small for the number of pilgrims it attracted, and so [[Steingaden Abbey]] decided to commission a separate shrine. Construction took place between 1745 and 1754, and the interior was decorated with frescoes and with stuccowork in the tradition of the [[Wessobrunner School]]. "Everything was done throughout the church to make the supernatural visible. Sculpture and murals combined to unleash the divine in visible form".<ref>
{{Citation
  | last = White | first = James F.
  | title = Roman Catholic Worship: Trent to Today
  | isbn = 0-8146-6194-7
  | page = 50
  | year = 2003
  | publisher = Liturgical Press
  | location = Collegeville, Minn. }}
</ref> 

There is a popular belief that the Bavarian government planned to sell or demolish the rococo masterpiece during the [[German mediatisation|secularization of Bavaria]] at the beginning of the 19th century, and that only protests from the local farmers saved it from destruction. Available sources, however, document that the responsible state commission clearly advocated the continuation of Wies as a pilgrimage site, even in spite of economic objections from the abbot of Steingaden.<ref>{{Citation
  | last1 = Stutzer | first1 = Dietmar
  | last2 = Fink   | first2 = Alois
  | title = Die irdische und die himmlische Wies
  | publisher = Rosenheimer Verlag
  | year = 1982
  | publication-place = Rosenheim
  | isbn = 3-475-52355-8
  | pages = 99–100 }}
</ref> Many who have prayed in front of the statue of Jesus on the altar have claimed that people have been miraculously cured of their diseases, which has made this church even more of a pilgrimage site.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}} The church underwent extensive restoration between 1985 and 1991.

The Wieskirche has an oval plan, with a semi-circular [[narthex]]. Inside, twin columns in front of the walls support the elaborate [[cornice]], with elaborate stucco decorations (painted by J. B. Zimmerman) and a long, deep [[Choir (architecture)|choir]].<ref name = "unesco"/> The ceilings are painted in a [[trompe-l'œil]] style, appearing to open up to an iridescent sky.<ref name = "unesco"/>  

[[File:Wieskirche%2C_Gemeinde_Steingaden_Ortsteil_Wies.JPG|thumb|upright=2|center|The rococo interior of the church is famous for its frothy trompe-l'oeil plafond.]]