Saint Birgitta, founder of the Order of the Redeemer named after her, set out on a pilgrimage from Sweden to Santiago de Compostella with her husband Ulf in 1341. On the way, she passed through what is now Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The pilgrims of that time oriented themselves to places of pilgrimage and power, such as the Antoniter Hospital and Tempzin Monastery or the cathedrals in Güstrow and Schwerin.
The modern itinerary begins in Sassnitz on the island of Rügen. Continuing into the center of the island and mainly through wooded areas, pilgrims pass the towns of Lietzow and Bergen auf Rügen. Beyond the Strelasund, the waterway between the Island of Rügen and the mainland, the UNESCO World Heritage city of Stralsund awaits with its brick churches of St. Marien, St. Nikolai and the former Franciscan monastery of St. Johannis. Through picturesque avenues and past time-honored churches such as the Tribsee town church of St. Thomas, pilgrims find their way to the Barlach town of Güstrow. Here, the cathedral, the Church of the Holy Spirit and St. Mary's tower into the sky.
Through the Sternberg Lake District Nature Park, pilgrims reach the once-famous pilgrimage site of Tempzin in the district of Parchim. Visible from afar in the Mecklenburg hills, the monastery church rises with its imposing west gable and graceful bell tower. A relic of St. Anthony attracted crowds of believers to the local monastery early on. Today, the building, which is over 500 years old, once again serves guests as a simple place to stay overnight and is the starting point for many pilgrimage offers in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Also worthwhile was a "drop of the blood of Christ" for the Schwerin Cathedral from 1222. With the proceeds, the present house of worship could be rebuilt from the 13th century onwards. Situated directly on the Schaalsee, the former Cistercian monastery of Zarrentin with its artistically designed Gothic ribbed vault in the preserved east wing.
In 1391 Birgitta was canonized by Pope Boniface IX. In 1396 the pope appointed her the patron saint of Sweden. In 1998, Pope John Paul II named her the patron saint of Europe.
