History:
In the booklet "Hageröschen", Peter Soemer tells of the Dörnschlade in 1896: "Half an hour from Wenden, almost on the border of the Siegerland, stands the chapel of Our Lady of the Dörnschlade on a ridge in the shade of old, gnarled beech trees. This place of pilgrimage is mentioned in a document from 1414. The old miraculous image is almost two feet high, carved without any art and depicts the Blessed Virgin with the Christ Child in her arms. ... The picture used to stand in a holy house, which was barely wide enough for three men to stand in it bent over. As early as 1776, they wanted to build a new chapel in its place, but in those enlightened times, the ecclesiastical authorities in Cologne didn't think much of pilgrimages."
Soemer goes on to say that in 1859, in the first sermon of a newly ordained priest, the construction of a new chapel was again suggested and after collections in the individual village communities, a beautiful Gothic chapel was built on this site. It was consecrated on November 13, 1864 by Pastor Schmidt and has a vestibule and a Gothic altar on which the image of grace stands. In 1865, a hermitage was built in the immediate vicinity, where the hermit lives.
The entire history of the Dörnschlade, the long and tenacious struggle of the faithful of Wenden with the state and church authorities to build this chapel is documented in a book published by Karl Jung in 1989 to mark the 125th anniversary of the Dörnschlade. This publication can be purchased from the Dörnschlade bookstall or from the bookstall in the parish church.
Guided tours:
About the parish of St. Severinus
Text: https://www.pv-wendener-land.de/kirchen/doernschlade