Kunigunden Chapel

The Kunigundenkapelle (Kunigunde Chapel) near the Aub district of Burgerroth is considered a significant late Romanesque building. It served as a pilgrimage church and house of worship for the villages of Buch, Burgerroth, Niedersteinach, and Brauneck Castle.

The Kunigundenkapelle is located in the southern part of the Würzburg district, about 1 km south of the Aub district of Burgerroth. It stands on the Alter Berg (Old Mountain), a plateau spur above the steep drop of the Gollach, a right tributary of the Tauber, near the Baden-Württemberg border. It is owned by the Catholic Church Foundation Buch.

Even before the First World War, farmers from Burgerroth found numerous shards, animal bones, and Stone Age tools while clearing the municipal quarry. Subsequently, excavations were carried out between 1919 and 1931 by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation and the Franconian Luitpold Museum Würzburg (today the Mainfränkisches Museum). These provided evidence of 10 dwelling places of a Neolithic Corded Ware settlement. Numerous prehistoric finds were also made on the opposite Eulenberg. There, in 1970, a farmer discovered a grave from the Hallstatt period while plowing. Although concrete evidence for the existence of a pagan cult site is lacking, further finds confirm the continuity of the Alter Berg as a refuge.

Even today, a pilgrimage route, called Bamberger Weg or Kunigundenweg, leads from the chapel via Aub, Bullenheim, Scheinfeld, Schlüsselfeld, and Burgebrach through the Steigerwald to Bamberg. Today, fewer pilgrims embark on the journey than hikers and cyclists.

The Kunigundenkapelle was built around 1230 during the heyday of the Staufer dynasty. The probable builders are Heinrich von Hohenlohe and his son Konrad von Hohenlohe, who resided at the nearby Brauneck Castle. Extensive repairs and alterations were carried out from 1608 to 1609 under Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn. This renovation was intended to consolidate the Counter-Reformation. A stone tablet from 1614 refers to this renovation. In the mid-18th century, during the Baroque period, the walls and ceiling were decorated with stucco. In 1762, the current main altar, depicting the Holy Family, was donated by Thomas Klee from Buch. A final renovation took place around 1900. However, regular services were only held on Kunigunde's Day (March 3) and on the third Rogation Day. After the cemetery was no longer used since 1945, the Kunigundenkapelle lost its significance. From 1961 to 1962, excavations were carried out in the chapel, and the current state was established during the subsequent thorough restoration.