The current pilgrimage church was erected in 1573 by Julius Echter when he became Bishop of Würzburg. As a church leader he was able to convert many Protestants back to the Catholic faith and the Dettelbach Pilgrimage experienced a renaissance. Soon the small chapel was unable to accommodate all the pilgrims anymore. That’s when Julius Echter decided to build a larger church. The new church was consecrated in 1613.
However, the increasing number of pilgrims could not be taken care of by the few local priests. So Julius Echter decided to build a monastery next to the church and to call the Franciscans to Dettelbach in 1616.
The layout of the church is shaped like a cross (1608 – 1613). The eastside choir is part of the original chapel. The mercy altar in the nave is not quite in the middle to allow a view of the high altar. The church features a Gothic looking roof structure, many Gothic arch windows with a variety of ornate stone carvings, as well as a round Rosetta at the west side.
The beautiful portal facing the city is truly unique. It was created from 1612 to 1613 by the then famous sculptor Michael Kern. The portal is constructed like an altar. There are two crests at the doorway: the small city crest and the larger Echter crest above it. To left, there is St. Peter with the key and to the right is St. Paul with the sword. Above the crests, in a rectangular nook, is a depiction of the offerings of the three wise men. At the top is Mother Mary with child and St. Kilian (Apostle of Franconia) and Augustinus (Patron of the City Church) on her sides. The upper reaches of the portal are occupied by a large, ornate Gothic window with depictions of ornaments, angels, columns and fruit.
The chancel was made by Michael Kern from alabaster marble with a sandstone core. The depictions are unique and remarkable. The progenitor Jesse carries the pulpit. Branches are growing out of his chest, reaching up and branching out. At their ends are depictions of famous figures from the family tree of Jesse, such as King David with a harp. The branches continue along the wall to the sound cover near the Mother Mary with child. This is to show that Mary and her son are the crowning members of this tribe and all of humanity. Without any doubt, the work of Michael Kern is a major cause for the art historical reputation of the Dettelbach Pilgrimage Church.