To find: in middle of village of Riesweiler, turn south following signs for "Sportplatz". Park at the sports field. Walk south along paved road about a mile and a half to an intersection. There is an information sign here. The well is to the right, beside the road and near a picnic shelter. The chapel ruins and rebuilt hermitage are straight up the hill just beyond the information sign.

Reizenborn was along a pilgrimage route from the Eifel region north of the Mosel River and the Hochwald region to the southwest to the monastery church at Spabruecken. Groups of pilgrims rested under a huge ancient tree where there was a refreshing spring.

According to legend, the mother of a sick child was among the pilgrims. An old man appeared to her at the spring and told her to take some water home to her child. She collected the water and left. As she glanced back at the spring, it was illuminated by a shining ray of light.

When she reached her home, her husband told her the child had died. But she forced a spoonful of the water between his lips and the child was revived.

The news of this miracle spread like wildfire. Now pilgrims made a procession to the spring itself which was now called "Raezeborte" or St. Mary's Reizenborn. A church was erected by the spring. This was destroyed by the French in 1796 when the area came under French domination.

Note: the "old man" appearing to the mother sounds very much like other versions of well legends in which St. Gangloff appears at a spring.

This spring was known since the Middle Ages and was used by pilgrims to the church at Spabruecken. These pilgrimages ceased about 1700

Legend tells us that the Virgin Mary appeared at the Reizenborn and the waters then had miraculous powers. A chapel with an image of "Our Dear Lady of Reizenborn" was founded as early as 1732. A hermitage was also built. Due to the large numbers of pilgrims, a new and larger chapel was built and dedicated on August 3, 1773. Pilgrimages took place twice a year; on Whitsunday and the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.

The chapel was plundered and damaged by French troops in 1796. Following the imposed secularization, the pilgrimages were ended. In 1806 the remains of the chapel and hermitage were destroyed.