Obermaßfeld-Grimmenthal is a municipality in the district

Schmalkalden-Meiningen Schmalkalden-Meiningen is a '' Landkreis'' in the southwest of Thuringia, Germany. Its neighboring districts are (from the northwest clockwise) the districts Wartburgkreis, Gotha, Ilm-Kreis, the district-free city Suhl, the district Hildburghaus ...

, in

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

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 ...

History

Since 1498, it has been a place of pilgrimage. An early picture of Mary was said to have been miraculous. In 1498 a chapel was inaugurated. From the revenue the Obermaßfelder Werra bridge was built. In 1536, after the Reformation, the pilgrimage ended. Immediately thereafter, a hospital for the poor was created. After 1945, it was a retirement home, which existed until 1990. Obermaßfeld-Thüringen-2005-07-16.jpg, Aerial photo of Obermaßfeld Obermassfeld-Werrabruecke.jpg, Werra bridge of 1534

Martin Luther criticism of pilgrimages to Grimmenthal

A chapel at Grimmenthal was erected by a

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

Captain which was dedicated by the

Suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led b ...

of Würzburg Prince-bishop Lorenz von Bibra, Georg von Bipolis, on August 24, 1498. The number of pilgrims grew so much and the money came in so abundantly that a bigger church had to be built by the chapel which was inaugurated on May 1, 1502.

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

was critical about this:

References

*DR. JOHANNES BAIER, ''Dr. Martin Luther’s Aufenthalt in Würzburg'', 1895, Chapter 5 ''Bischof Lorenz von Bibra und Dr. Martin Luther.'' VERLAG UND DRUCK DER STAHEL’SCHEN K. HOF- UND UNIVERSITÄTS- BUCH- UND KUNSTHANDLUNG. Municipalities in Thuringia Schmalkalden-Meiningen {{SchmalkaldenMeiningen-geo-stub