The Gehilfersberg is a hill in the ''

Landkreis Fulda The Fulda District (; ) is a Districts of Germany, ''Kreis'' (district) in the north-east of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Wartburgkreis, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, Rhön-Grabfeld, Bad Kissingen (district), Bad Kissi ...

'',

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is part of the Rhön hills and lies northwest of the village of Rasdorf. The

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

peak is located close to the range known as " Hessian Skittles" (''Hessisches Kegelspiel'') but there are diverging views on whether it should be counted as one of the nine hills "officially" part of the "nine pins". On the peak is a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

pilgrimage chapel ''St. Marien und Vierzehn Nothelfer'', dedicated to Virgin Mary and the

Fourteen Holy Helpers The Fourteen Holy Helpers (, ) are a group of saints venerated together by Catholics because their intercession is believed to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases. This group of ''Nothelfer'' ("helpers in need") orig ...

, construction of which began during the reign of Johann Bernhard Schenk von Schweinsberg (1623-1632), Abbot of

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...

to replace an earlier chapel that had been destroyed. It was consecrated in 1681. Initially, a figure of Christ (the holy ''Gehülf'') was revered, but the focus shifted to the Fourteen Helpers over time. From the 18th century, the Gehilfersberg was one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in eastern Hesse. Seven stations mark the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

leading up from Rasdorf. There is also a fortified cemetery (') at the top. On 11 May 1996, the Catholic chapel was destroyed by arson. However, it was quickly rebuilt and rededicated by Bishop of Fulda Johannes Dyba on 19 May 1997. More recently, a part of the wooded slopes has been designated as a burial forest.

References

{{Hesse-geo-stub Hills of Hesse