Marienmünster

The Marienmünster was originally a filial church of St. Walburga and Nikolaus in Beyerberg. In the second half of the 14th century, it was elevated to an independent parish. The parish included the filial churches of St. Katharina (Bechhofen) and St. Georg (Sachsbach). The patrons were initially the Lords of Pappenheim, followed by the Lords of Seckendorff, and from 1620 to 1803, the Prince-Bishopric of Eichstätt. Until the Reformation, which reached Königshofen in 1565, the Marienmünster was a pilgrimage church. In 1902, the Bechhofen parish was elevated to a full parish, and St. Georg in Sachsbach was declared a filial church of Bechhofen. The current Königshofen parish includes the villages of Arberg, Birkach, Oberkönigshofen, Rohrbach, Röttenbach, Waizendorf, and Weihermühle.

The existing church was built in the second half of the 14th century in the late Gothic style from sandstone ashlar. It originally had two towers and a choir with a 7/10-closure in the east and a three-aisled hall church in the west. The southern side aisle was doubled in 1517. In 1632, the church was severely damaged by fire and could only be provisionally restored in 1658. All construction work was not completed until 1723. The church was structurally altered into a basilica during this process. On June 1, 1788, the north tower was severely damaged by a lightning strike and therefore had to be demolished to the height of the church roof in 1810, and completely in 1868. A sacristy was built in its place. In 1956/57, the Marienmünster was extensively restored.

The choir with the 7/10-closure has a hip roof. It is subdivided into segments by eight buttresses, most of which have a tracery window. The nave has a lantern roof. The southern side aisle towards the tower has three hip dormers. On the north and south sides, the nave has five bays of pointed-arch tracery windows. On the north side, these are two-part, with a pointed-arch stepped portal between the second and third windows. On the south side, these are three- or four-part, and the central window is replaced by a pointed-arch portal. In the clerestory, the central nave has quatrefoil windows on the north and south sides. On the west side, there is a small annex with a lean-to roof for the round-arch stepped portal, with a buttress to the left and right, separating the central nave from the side aisles. Above this is a three-part, pointed-arch tracery window. In the gable, there are two smaller two-part, pointed-arch tracery windows, and above them a quatrefoil window. To the right of the portal stands a small round tower, which is used as a staircase to the west gallery. The south tower has a square plan and is five stories high. The individual stories are articulated by cornices. On the fourth story, it has two-part, pointed-arch tracery sound openings. The fifth story is octagonal and has two-part, pointed-arch sound openings on all sides. The tower concludes with an eight-sided spire. The sandstone ashlar is also visible inside the church; the plaster was removed in 1875. The nave and choir vaults are no longer visible due to the insertion of flat wooden ceilings. Pointed-arch arcades on the north and south sides separate the central nave from the side aisles. Since 1870/80, there has been a west gallery resting on pointed-arch arcades. The central nave is connected to the choir by a pointed-arch arcade.