St. Pancras [Guegel]

Well known as “Guegel”, the small castle with a chapel in honour of St. Pancrasius, first mentioned in 1274, is considered part of the Giechburg in the east. The castle, built on a 1,600-foot-high Jurassic limestone rock, was destroyed several times, amongst others during the Hussite War in 1430 and the Peasants’ War in 1525. While the castle was decaying, the chapel was restored several times. After progressive destruction in the following century, the church was rebuilt and extended from 1610 to 1618. The Gothic structures of the old building were incorporated by the master builder Giovanni Bonalino, the former court architect in Bamberg.

The most unusual thing about this church is the two-storey structure, which was built in the cliff in different centuries. The small chapel with the Lourdes Grotto was built in 1891. Located in the basement, the secret grotto with the beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary is accessible via a side entrance in the south of the church, opposite the small restaurant. It is connected to the upper church by a narrow spiral staircase and a passage carved into the rock. The entrance is hidden in the left corner of the grotto and first leads to a balcony with a beautiful view over the cave. If you continue along the narrow rock passage, you will reach the upper church with its remarkable high altar.

In the upper church, Gothic red arches cross the baroque interior. Besides two richly decorated side altars from the 18th century, one of the oldest pieces of decoration is the life-size cross from the 15th century. In the church hall you will find fourteen holy helpers made of finest alabaster, which look like silent observers and were made by sculptor Michael Kern. This is a reference to the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, which was built 30 kilometres away, and the reason why the Gügel has developed into a pilgrimage church over the course of time.