Jakobsweg Etappe von Tholey nach Illingen

This stage takes us from the abbey church of St. Mauritius in Tholey via the Marian shrine in the Härtelwald forest to Illingen and the mountain chapel.

The start of this stage is the abbey church of St. Mauritius in Tholey. The abbey church dates back to the 12th century. Its predecessor church was first mentioned in 634 AD. Benedictine monks still live and work in Tholey today.

The neo-Gothic parish church "Maria Himmelfahrt" in Marpingen was built in 1902/03 by St. Johann architect Wilhelm Hector on the site of a medieval predecessor building. The self-confidence and religious vitality of the parish, which is expressed in this sacred building, is also manifested in the fact that all 2,000 Catholics in the parish joined the church building association, which supported the construction of the church, at the end of the 19th century.Of particular artistic interest in the church, which was originally incorporated into Tholey Abbey, is a late medieval altarpiece, which was inserted under a stained glass window on the south side of the neo-Gothic building. It is one of the oldest examples of Marian devotion in Marpingen. The history of the Marienbrunnen (popularly known as "Maieborn") in the immediate vicinity of the parish church, which was already a popular Marian pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages, also goes back a long way

On the outskirts of Marpingen lies the Hartelwald Marian shrine. Here, hikers first pass the outdoor shrine with its stylized rosary and statue of the Virgin Mary and immediately afterwards reach the Mary Chapel. Built between 1932 and 1935, the Chapel and the Mary Grotto which initially stood right next to it were built on the spot where Our Lady is said to have first appeared to three eight-year-old girls from Marpingen in 1876.The events in Härtelwald quickly found an international echo, and Marpingen was soon regarded as the "German Lourdes" - despite the "Kulturkampf" that the Prussian state was waging against the Catholic Church at the time. When in 1999 three "visionaries", this time adult women from three different villages in Saarland, once again had a total of 13 announced apparitions in the Härtelwald, many thousands of pilgrims from all over the world once again came to Marpingen. In December 2005, the Härtelwald with its chapel and Marian spring was officially recognized as a place of prayer by the diocese in Trier. The Marienkapelle chapel and its surroundings were extensively renovated and redesigned by the municipality of Marpingen between 2006 and 2008.From the chapel, the Way of St. James leads via the Crossroads with 14 stations up to the Marienquelle, 300 m away. The spring and its entire surroundings were also redesigned by the municipality at great expense. As part of the measures carried out between 2004 and 2006, a covered place of worship was also built, which offers space for around 120 pilgrims.A short time later, hikers pass the "Miners' Cross", which, together with the replica of a mine mouth hole that was erected right next to it just a few years ago, serves as a landmark for a profession that was once economically important and culturally and historically noteworthy for Marpingen. Until well into the 20th century, the village's miners met here to set off together on foot at the start of the week to the mines in the south.

From here, the Way of St. James runs parallel to the country road uphill to the old Roman road Mainz-Metz, which runs along the ridge between Marpingen and Urexweiler. (If you cross the L 318 here, you will come to an old boundary stone that once marked the border between Nassau-Saarbrücken and Lorraine. This border was also the confessional border between Protestants and Catholics. Not far from the boundary stone are the remains of Celtic burial mounds, which are indicated by an information board)

The actual route joins the L 318 to the left before entering Urexweiler, before branching off to the right onto a paved forest path after another 100 m. The Way of St. James now leads for almost 2 km through a beautiful beech forest before it joins a forest path from Berschweiler to Urexweiler, passing several wooden animal sculptures. Initially, the route leads along an asphalt ridgeway for around 4 km across open fields and through wooded sections. Shortly before Hüttigweiler, the hiker leaves the Naheweg and turns right onto a wide forest path, which they follow for around 1 km to a crossroads. There, the Jakobsweg meets the Schaumbergweg and the Bergmannsweg.

From here, if you want to walk to the Statio Dominus Mundi near Wustweiler, turn right and you will reach the church in around 20 minutes.

The Statio Dominus Mundi is an architecturally remarkable contemporary sacred building. It houses a unique collection of masterpieces of medieval art, including a painting by Lukas Cranach the Elder.

Those staying on the Way of St. James turn left and continue to Hüttigweiler. On the outskirts of Illingen, the route meets the Naheweg. It descends into the Illtal valley to the baroque St. Stephen's Church.

Only the choir tower from the 13th century has survived from the original medieval building. In its basement, there is a late Gothic ribbed vault and pointed arched windows. The nave dates from the 18th century and was built according to a design by Peter Reheis from Blieskastel. The epitaph of Heinrich von Kerpen, who died in 1577, can be found in the church.Only small remnants of the church's medieval painting have been preserved. The cornerstone of a large Roman funerary monument is walled into the outside of the tower. Not far from St. Stephen's Church is the Kerpen Castle Ruins, the remains of a former moated castle that was owned by the Lords of Kerpen from the 14th century. The core complex from the 14th century was completely redesigned in the 16th century and an outer bailey was added. The main castle encloses a rectangular courtyard, at the south-west corner of which the remains of a square tower have been preserved. At the south-east corner is a round tower, which was rebuilt after the Second World War. This tower houses the former castle chapel with a star vault.

The route leads uphill to the end of the stage, the mountain chapel (approx. 1.5 km). On the last section of the route, a footpath parallel to the road, the stations of the "7 Sorrows of Mary" (also known as the "footfalls") accompany the pilgrim to the mountain chapel.

There were already several pilgrimage chapels in this place above the village of Ilingen. The oldest probably dates back to the 16th century; an epitaph from 1555, which can be found in the chapel, bears witness to this. Today's Mountain Chapel, built in the neo-Gothic style, is a place of pilgrimage for Sinti and Roma that is known far beyond the borders of the country. The pilgrimage, then known as the "Gypsy Pilgrimage", has been taking place every year on the first weekend in October since 1955.