Kloster St. Maria (Monastery)

The monastery, similar to its counterparts in Neustadt am Main and Lohr, originated from the lack of female teachers for female students. In the mid-19th century, the view became established that girls in rural areas should also benefit from further education. Mostly, the city's parish offices became active and inquired in Dillingen for some "school sisters." In Volkach, the situation was different, as a foundation was decisive for the request: Mrs. Anna Justina Meisner left the city 1000 guilders, which were intended for the remuneration of the sisters to be employed. On October 19, 1856, three Franciscans from Dillingen an der Donau and Mödingen arrived in the city and immediately began teaching at the local city school. On November 18, 1858, the Franciscans acquired the house of the former Royal Bavarian Forestry Office directly next to the parish church and established the nucleus of their monastery there. From 1860, the sisters also taught in these buildings. Due to great demand, the monastery grounds were gradually expanded over the following decades through the purchase of new properties. At the same time, the newly established convent also tried to become more independent from the mother monastery in Dillingen. Therefore, on August 15, 1859, the first investiture of a new sister took place in the monastery buildings. Only an ordinariate decision in 1874 ended the desired autonomy and prohibited further investitures. Today, the monastery is a branch of the Dillingen Franciscans in the Bamberg province.

In 1860, the Dillingen convent sisters in Volkach received their own institute to train the students entrusted to them in home economics subjects. It was not until 1906 that some buildings were erected that could accommodate the school and boarding school; previously, the children were housed in the prince-bishop's official cellar. In 1913, this school received the official title of a girls' secondary school, but in 1941, this institution, under Christian sponsorship, was closed again and a military hospital was set up in its rooms instead. Shortly after the Second World War, in 1945, the sisters reopened the school. By 1948, it was attended by 126 students. In 1960, the school was converted into a four-class secondary school, before being renamed Realschule in 1965. Twenty years later, in 1985, the new computer room, multi-purpose room, library, and school gymnasium were inaugurated. In 2000, the school was reformed again. This time it was converted into a six-class Realschule.

From the 7th grade, the school offers the following educational tracks:

Elective subject group II with an economic focus Elective subject group IIIa with a linguistic focus Elective subject group IIIb with a home economics focus The school awards the state-recognized Realschule diploma. In addition, there is a registered association, the "Freundeskreis der Mädchenrealschule der Franziskanerinnen Volkach e. V." (Friends' Association of the Girls' Realschule of the Franciscans Volkach), which financially supports the school and complements its educational offerings through a course program. The school's offerings are supplemented by an open all-day program (Offene Ganztagsschule).

Furthermore, since 1987, the monastery has offered after-school care on the school grounds, enabling afternoon supervision for children of all ages. In addition, the after-school care provides homework support in small groups and offers full-day holiday care.

The Würzburg Bishop Josef Stangl blessed a house chapel in the monastery premises on May 16, 1962. Inside, a folk altar made of shell limestone was erected. It was decorated at the front with a relief of the Agnus Dei. The altarpiece shows Saint Mary as Queen of the Universe. A Way of the Cross runs through the room. It was created in 1962 by the Munich artist Matthias Bayer. On the gallery hangs an 18th-century painting depicting Christ on the cross. Max Walter from Vasbühl created the relief panels of the four cardinal virtues.