St. Bartholomäus Church

Christianization in Greßthal began around the year 600 with the erection of a cross at a former pagan cult site. In 680, the first church was consecrated, dedicated to Saint Matthias. The Counts of Schweinfurt founded a parish in the 8th century with parish property, which was of regional importance. From 804, Greßthal belonged to the Fulda Monastery, whose abbots expanded the parish church into a fortified church in the 12th century, though its fortifications were later removed. After disputes, the church came into the possession of the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg in 1376. In 1443, Bishop Gottfried IV Schenk von Limpurg elevated Greßthal to an episcopal arch-parish. The first arch-parish priest, Eberhard von Grumbach, renovated the church and introduced Saint Bartholomew as the new patron saint.