Legend becomes history
On August 6, 1177, Pope Alexander III confirmed the church in Lechfelderdorf to the monastery of St. Ulrich and Afra in Augsburg - that was St. Afra im Felde with all its affiliations. This was linked to a separate priesthood, which had already been created under Bishop Walther (1133-1152) and confirmed by Bishop Hartwig von Liehrheim (1167-1184). The abbot of St. Ulrich and Afra could select and appoint this priest. This date, August 6, 1177, is so important because it is the first time that historically confirmed facts have been provided about a place of worship. Until then, there had only been legendary traditions about the martyrdom of St. Afra on an island in the Lech and a chapel built on the spot soon after. Although the reconstruction of this chapel by Bishop Ulrich after its destruction during the Hungarian invasions can only be traced back to legend, the church of St. Afra has been a building documented by a document since 1177. The settlement of Lechfelderdorf mentioned above had already been documented since around the year 1000, and a church in honor of the martyr has now been confirmed. While the settlement was already abandoned in 1391, the church of St. Afra continued to exist, surviving all storms, enemy storms, even secularization and conversion into an ammunition depot.