brief history of the origin of the famous pilgrimage to the Virgin Mother Mary into white stone in South
white stone, one of the higher south-east of the commercial city Bolzano, and 4 light hours above Leifers lying Alpine region, takes its name from the white rock walls that rise up in his background, and drag on to the yoke Grimm. lived in this alpine area 300 years ago a brave compatriot Leonhard he owner was a vast estate, and because his house was leaning against the slope of a white rock wall he was commonly called the white-Steiner, which surnames have many lead in the neighborhood today to light . This simple-minded, just, just, and his neighbors so dear man fell from unknown causes in a frenzy, he rose to Raßerei often that his own family was forced to him three years long . Include In the narrow gloomy walls of the prison in which he was bound with chains, came at times, as he will later have even known back his consciousness, and in these lucid moments he felt each time as if it by the blessed God-mother the order given to the hill where his house stood, to build a chapel in honor of her. Leonard stayed the order given to him by itself is not the moment of his intellectual twilight gradually disappeared, and the madness rose to the mania. In a violent fit of madness, it was him even managed even to get rid of the chains, and to escape from prison. He fled to the nearby forest abutting his house now called the Hermitage, which is surrounded on all sides by rocky precipices, so he had the misfortune to tumble down without taking a loss, he seemed to recover from his insanity rather completely. But when he sought a way out, to get back home, it is the Mother of God have appeared comforted him and promised him a complete and consistent health have with the assurance that his relatives him to neuntätigem anxious search, find here be and he while lacking these days, neither the food and drank of comfort would. When he was his own allortigen after a long search on the ninth day really quite uninjured, healthy had found and freed of all madness, and out with joy home, he told them his miraculous escape, as he often appeared Mary, as she comforted him, and have received wonderful. Returning home, he ran the affairs of the household, which had suffered greatly during his mental illness, again with such care that his wealth increased in the near future. The care of the temporal but read it to him to build the Mother of God given mission, to their credit, a chapel, forget why he came back to the previous madness and frenzy. But when he was come back from this case to himself, he thought with Ernst at the request of the Queen of Heaven. He lost no longer went to the place where he commanded to build the chapel Maria, near his home, where is often an unusual light have been seen at night. It was in 1553, he eagerly took on the work, and while he was to dig the foundation of the pedestal, the ground aufschaufelte he found in a shallow white stone crafted cute little picture, which is the sorrowful mother. How Diess image come to this place is quite unknown. Leonhard was found by this portrait very pleased. The news spread quickly throughout the neighborhood, there were many helping hands, the construction of the chapel, like myself still left in the court the local church can be seen, was completed in a short time, kept the picture found in the same and revered. The prayer of the pious Leonhard usually used by the people to assemble a small bell, which was later still the name of Leonhard's bell. Furthermore, from the White Leonhard Steiner nothing is known except that he once found painful images and renounced the construction of the chapel of his household, became a zealous servant of Mary, and I have endured to his death in the service of Mary. He is buried in the Curati Peter Berg. 
The devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows declined after the death of her zealous servant Leonhard not, they increased Rather, more and more, and each year, the number of pilgrims who came from afar to white stone to sue Marien their mental and physical concerns, especially many Gemüthskranke obtained allda her recovery again. Now, because the first was too small by Leonhard chapel built soon, was built in 1561 added to himself a church that was soon again because of the increasingly frequent visits to small. Therefore, it was canceled same 1638, and by mild Reviews of the pilgrims set out the current church, completed in 1654, from the inside, and was inaugurated 1673rd The spiritual needs of pilgrims anxious for many years a benefice until 1718, in which year by Pope and imperial authorization and confirmation from the Most Reverend cathedral chapter of Trent and the count Khuen'schen court rule to the German Order of the Servants of Mary oven on 24 November was introduced. The first religious priests began already in 1719 to the monastery building, which was completed in 3 years. The order itself was built partly by contributions from the other monasteries not only the province of Tyrol, but also of Bohemia, and Austria, and partly by voluntary contributions from benefactors and collections, among which the city of Bolzano deserves to stand at the top. For the maintenance of religious priests and the church several foundations were made, of which only John Paul and Mary Widow of Ingram, Johann Graf von Khuen, John of Gumer, Anne of Wißenegg, Franz von Kager and Michael Zenner be mentioned. As in 1753, the second the spilling century invention has been celebrated, the church was rebuilt and beautified. When the monastery was abolished in 1787, was himself, together with the two courts and the church around the Pries to 8000 guilders from a private auction to Bolzano, the destroyed voluntarily but much, much neglected, and thus prevented but that it was not a complete ruin as it was requested to do otherwise with the high altitude monasteries. In 1836 brought the Servite Order of the monastery, supported by mild amounts commercially back in itself, and did not fail to restauriren forces after church and monastery, and would be the construction of farm buildings by fire causing his powers not to have very exhausted, the Renovirung would still be progressed further. Nevertheless, became a worthy celebration of the third spilling century the high altar redrafted and gilt, purchased a new organ, and done so everything possible to celebrate in a dignified manner, the memory of the Duch 300 years of this place imparts graces of Sorrows. Off: A Short History and prayers to the Virgin Mother Mary White stone. A memory of the third secular celebration since discovery of the miraculous image held by 16. up to and including 24 August 1853. Bolzano. Printing and publishing of J. Eberle 's printing press.
