The Stettkirchen pilgrimage church is located between Adertshausen and Hohenburg on a hill on the northern slope of the Lauterach valley. Together with the former sacristan's house, it forms an attractive ensemble in the idyllic landscape. According to tradition, Emperor Otto II founded the church after a victory over Henry the Brawler in 976. The church was originally surrounded by three other chapels. The compact hall building with a recessed and polygonally closed choir is complemented by a massive tower in the northern corner of the choir, the ground floor of which houses the sacristy. The upper end of the tower is formed by a curved hood with a knob and cross. The bright, inviting interior surprises with a variety of baroque design elements, which culminate in the richly decorated altar zone. The ceiling of the nave is covered by a system of stucco cartouches that decorate the entire ceiling mirror with imaginatively designed frame shapes. A series of large, curved cartouches with the monograms of Joseph, Mary and Christ take up the center of the ceiling. The work by the unknown artist was created in 1733. The high altar from 1691, a retable flanked by pairs of columns in the form of a triumphal arch, was reworked in 1766 to accommodate the miraculous image. The magnificent tabernacle with the side reliquaries was built in the middle of the 18th century. Above it rises a canopy architecture with angels in which the miraculous image was placed: a crescent moon Madonna with child from the 15th century. St. Joachim and St. Anna. On the left side altar there is a sculpture of a Pieta in front of the base area. The altarpiece from the middle of the 18th century depicts the “Adoration of the shepherds in the stable of Bethlehem”. The oval extract shows St. Barbara. On the right side altar there is a small glass shrine with a figure of Wiesheiland from around 1750. The altar painting shows the Holy Family and, in the excerpt, the Holy Family. Apollonia as a patron against dental problems. The organ in the protruding middle section of the gallery, which has ten registers, was created by Johann Adam Funtsch from Amberg in 1760.
The origin of the pilgrimage in Stettkirchen is based on a bloodthirsty legend: In 976, Emperor Otto II fought a loss-making battle against Bavarian Duke Heinrich II, the so-called "brawler", nearby. In the nearby “blood valley” the blood flowed into the Lauterach valley. In the event of his victory, the emperor had praised the building of a church. He won and kept his promise. Be that as it may, excavations around the church have shown that this is one of the earliest church foundations in the central Upper Palatinate shortly after 700. It is thanks to the donations of the many pilgrims that we have this neat little church here today. The church is also worth a visit! It is very nicely decorated with many symbols of Mary. You will also find the drumming angel in the picture there!
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