Maria von Mörl was born in Kaltern in 1812 and came from an impoverished noble family. She was very sickly as a child and severe illness followed her through her life. When she was twenty, unusual conditions began to appear that caused her to be called “the ecstatic one”.
Maria von Mörl was so absorbed with our Savior’s suffering that she lost all receptiveness to the material world. This tiny, spiritual entity would kneel on her bed like an angel with her eyes fixated and uplifted toward heaven. On Thursday evenings she would change and it would seem as though she was sharing our Savior’s pain on the Mount of Olives.
But the most stirring scene was on Fridays, when her actions demonstrated her fervent participation in Jesus’ crucifixion. From the year 1836, the stigmas of Christ’s wounds became apparent on both her hands and feet.
The knowledge of Maria quickly spread throughout Europe and soon there were thousands of pilgrims coming to Kaltern to personally see the stigmatic virgin. In 1841, she joined the cloister of the Tertiary Sisters in Kaltern. She was often visited by all of Europe’s prominence, from princes and emperors and empresses to politicians and bishops. In 1868, Maria von Mörl died.
Today, Kaltern’s cemetery is located on a piece of land that Maria von Mörl left to her beloved home village.