Penmon’s history stretches back to the 6th century, when a monastery was established here by St Seiriol. The holy well (with reputed healing properties) that bears his name is thought to be associated with this period, though the ‘cell’ that houses it is a much later construction. The remains of the priory that stand today largely date from the 13th century, when it became part of the Augustinian order.
Inside the church, which still serves the parish today, stands an impressive cross. Dating from the 10th century, its shaft is carved with intricate patterns of frets and plaits.
References:The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.