Welcome to the Ruins of St. Margaret's Church

If you stand in front of the ruins of St Margaret's Church at the foot of the Arnstein monastery hill today, it is hard to believe: in the Middle Ages, it was the mother church of 72 chapels and churches in the Taunus and Westerwald.

Today, you will only find parts of the enclosing walls of the Romanesque pillar basilica, which rise up in a wild and romantic way in the middle of a cemetery. The tour can be wonderfully combined with a hike and a visit to Arnstein Monastery.

The ruins are open all year round and free to access.

No winter service on site.

Please inform yourself about current weather warnings before your visit.

Address
Ruine Margarethenkirche
56379 Obernhof

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The Ruins of St. Margaret's Church are a historical site of the Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz (General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland‑Palatinate), www.gdke.rlp.de.

Regrettably, as it is a historic site, there is no disabled access to St. Margaret's Church ruins. Thank you for your understanding.

The ruins of St. Margaret‘s Church lie at the foot of the Arnstein monastery hill on the left bank of the Lahn River.
It was probably built at the beginning of the 12th century by the Counts of Arnstein as a burial place below their ancestral castle. In 1139, Ludwig III, the last Count of Arnstein, converted the castle into a Premonstratensian monastery, joined the congregation himself as a lay brother and transferred his entire property to the church. From then on, St. Margaret‘s Church served as the parish church for the village of Seelbach and the secular inhabitants of Arnstein Castle. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was auctioned off for demolition, the new owner sold everything that could be utilised and the building was left to decay.
The remains of the Romanesque pillar basilica now rise up in the middle of a cemetery. The northern and southern outer walls have been preserved up to the roof and date back to the time of construction. Other parts, such as the portal, are the remains of major remodelling works from the 17th and 18th centuries. The crypt under the choir is buried.