Address: 2291 St. Johns Rd. Maria Stein Ohio, 45860 (Mercer County)Phone: (419) 925-4532
Mass Times: Sat. 11:00
Chapel Built: 1892
Architect: Unknown Architectural Style: Romanesque
Pilgrim Pointers:
This is the final stop for any of the Pilgrimages. Be sure to spend time in the relic chapel. The Shrine has water & restrooms, a gift shop and beautiful grounds to walk and shake the legs out after a day’s ride.
History: The National Marian Shrine of the Holy Relics was founded in 1875 when Father J.M. Gartner entrusted his collection of relics to the Sisters at Maria Stein. Housed in a beautiful chapel the collection, with over 1000 relics on display, represents the second largest collection of its type in the United States (after St. Anthony’s Chapel in Pittsburg).
The primary display of relics is in an altar that was hand-carved especially for this purpose. Four beautiful stained-glass windows imported from Munich, Germany and hand- carved woodwork also adorn the Relic Chapel.
The Shrine was one of the first sites in the area to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The Maria Stein Heritage Museum opened in 1982 and is designed to interpret the early settlement of southern Auglaize and Mercer counties in Ohio. Settlers to this area were largely of German descent and of the Roman Catholic faith. The displays in the museum reflect their way of life in the mid to late nineteenth century. Special attention is given to the history of the Sisters of the Precious Blood and their contribution to the cultural development of these early pioneers. The museum is located on the second floor of the former convent building at Maria Stein Center.
Ohio State Historical Marker: The Sisters of the Precious Blood, founded in Switzerland by Maria Anna Brunner in 1834, began their ministry of prayer and education in Mercer County here at Maria Stein (Our Lady of the Rock). Father Francis de Sales Brunner, a Missionary of the Precious Blood, brought the Sisters to America in 1844, and in 1846 established the foundation at Maria Stein, named after a Benedictine Abbey in Switzerland. The convent was the Motherhouse of the Sisters of the Precious Blood until 1923. Relics of the saints were brought to this site from Italy in 1875. The present convent and relic chapel (National Marian Shrine of the Holy Relics), built during 1890-1902, were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.