St. Peter
In 1098, the three monastery founders, Margrave Diepold III of Vohburg, Count Berengar of Sulzbach and Count Otto of Habsberg-Kastl, were confirmed by Pope Paschal as having founded the monastery. In 1103, Abbot Theoderich began building the church with twelve Benedictine monks. The choir with the barrel vault was already completed in 1129. There is no precise information about the further progress of construction. Thanks to generous donations, the monastery was able to quickly develop into a religious center. The church had retained its Romanesque architectural style until the end of the 14th century.
The first changes in the Gothic style were made under Abbot Kemnater (1399 to 1434). The apse, the cross-ribbed vault in the nave and the vault of Paradise show these features.
Abbot Perching (1459 to 1490) had the Benedictus Chapel built in the Gothic style next to the southern aisle of the nave. His successor, Abbot Lang, created a lasting monument for himself with the construction of the Gothic Fourteen Holy Helpers Chapel in the northern aisle.
When the Upper Palatinate was awarded to Ottheinrich of the Rhine Palatinate - he was a supporter of Luther - the monastery was dissolved in 1560. The monastery property was subject to secular administration and the church served as a grain store and horse stable. The majority of the sculptures were destroyed by the Calvinists.
In 1625, during the re-Catholicization, Elector Maximilian of Bavaria handed over the entire property to the Jesuit college in Amberg. The Jesuits rebuilt the church according to their ideas: bright and inviting for the faithful. However, many Kastler residents did not agree with many of the measures. In 1782, the monastery complex was awarded to the Order of Malta. The church was given the name it has today. High altar, while the side altars still point to the Jesuits.
In 1906, a four-year restoration project brought about a number of changes. In 1916, a new organ was also installed. Another restoration was scheduled for 1966. The basic character of the church was adapted to the simple Romanesque style, which meant that many decorative or organic accessories were removed from the main church.
The vestibule of the church was converted into a mortuary. Many memorial stones, gravestones, the bones of the donors, the Schweppermann monument and the mummy shrine and the high grave of Princess Anna are now in Paradise.