Widensolen Cave

The cave, inspired by the Lourdes sanctuary, is dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes and is located at the entrance of the Kastenwald forest, near a spring associated with Saint Germain of Grandval. According to tradition, this spring emerged after the saint was buried in the forest in the 8th century and was reputed for its miraculous properties. In the 14th century, the monks of the Pairis Abbey built a chapel near the spring. It was abandoned in 1746 after the murder of the two Franciscan hermits who were in charge. Destroyed in 1788, it was replaced by a modest little house covered with ex-votos, which was itself destroyed during the Great War. The current cave, arranged in 1958 by Father Georges Ehrhard, thus continues a long tradition of devotion and pilgrimage.