Kornelimünster, founded by Louis the Pious in 814 as the imperial abbey of the Carolingian dynasty, was a major pilgrimage centre throughout the Middle Ages for its 'Heiligtumsfahrt' relics — three of the cloths believed to be associated with the Passion of Christ (gathered by St. Helena and given by Charlemagne to the abbey). In 1394 an additional Eucharistic phenomenon at the abbey added to the cult: a host preserved during a fire in the chapel that destroyed surrounding furnishings. The septennial Heiligtumsfahrt — held jointly with Aachen — remains one of the great pilgrimages of the Rhineland.
1394 · Kornelimünster Abbey (near Aachen), Germany
Status: approved holy see