The oldest mural paintings in the Netherlands are hidden in a beautiful church on the outskirts of Sittard-Geleen. It might be somewhat confusing that there are two churches with the same name in the same village, but you can probably skip the new church in the centre that was built in 1922. The church replaced the ancient one at the castle, which you definitely shouldn't miss if you're in the region.
The history of the old Salviuskerk can be traced back to the late 10th century, but all that remains of the original church hall is the northern wall made of boulders from the River Meuse. Over the centuries, the church was enlarged several times and the tower was erected in 1458. During a restoration in 1977, murals from around 1300 were found. The paintings have been restored and after almost two years of tremendous efforts, which included the stripping of at least 20 layers of lime paint, are now on display. The paintings depict a Mary-themed cycle with portrayals of the childhood of Christ, the coronation of Mary and the salvation. Another sacred item found in this church is a box that supposedly contains pieces of Saint Salvius' bones.
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.