A short stop here is definitely recommended. Usually the church is open all day. There are several benches and a large parking lot in front of the church.
This ruined church is said to be one of the most extraordinary places of pilgrimage and power in the ancient Danube Valley. The Spindeltal ruined church is a revived medieval Marian pilgrimage site. Until about 25 years ago, few people knew that, hidden behind hedges, there was a pilgrimage church with a varied history. In the 1990s, an association strengthened and expanded the walls, and added a roof. Today, it is once again a popular place of worship.
In fact, the church was destroyed twice over the centuries due to border and denominational issues, as well as disputes over pilgrimage revenue. In 1542, Duke Ottheinrich of Palatinate-Neuburg had the Spindeltal church closed, partially destroyed, and the stained glass windows smashed. He had converted to Protestantism. The area did not become Catholic again until 1618.
Unfortunately, the ecclesiastical authorities of the time also contributed to the second destruction: Both the pastor of Rögling (now Swabia), Diocese of Eichstätt, and the pastor of Wellheim (now Upper Bavaria), Diocese of Augsburg, fought for decades over the income from the pilgrimage. The pastor of the neighboring town of Ensfeld (Diocese of Eichstätt) also claimed the funds for himself. With the consent of the ordinariates of both dioceses (!!!), the Spindeltal Church was demolished for this reason in 1782/83. Even today, the diocese border runs right (!) through the middle of the church. The chancel extends to the stairs of the Diocese of Augsburg, the nave to Eichstätt. The entire church belongs to the Diocese of Augsburg. Until the early 1980s, the Spindeltal Church was an overgrown, dilapidated ruin. Gradually, it was uncovered and reinforced. Initially, around 1987, a temporary tarpaulin was installed as a roof, which held up well during previous services in the pouring rain. Thanks to the efforts of a support association, it was replaced with a permanent roof, and over time, various exterior renovations were carried out. The charm of the Spindeltal Church also lies in the fact that the boundaries of the original ruins can still be seen inside and out.
The pilgrimage to Our Lady in the Spindeltal has been revived; especially in the summer, pilgrim masses and Marian chants from various parishes from both dioceses (!) are held there regularly every year since 1995 – usually at the beginning of July – and motorcyclists from several districts have met there to celebrate a motorcycle service followed by a blessing of their vehicles. This service took place until 2019, but had to be canceled since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Various hermits also lived at this special place from 1745 to 1763. It's fitting that a large sandstone Madonna statue was excavated there on December 5, 1931, at a depth of approximately 3 meters by a worker from Tagmersheim. Since then, in 2022, 91 years have passed. The Madonna was also subject to further litigation. Eventually, it was given to the parish of Ensfeld. A copy of the statue is now housed in the Spindeltal Church; the original is in Ensfeld.