Surrounded by the typical black and white half-timbered houses, the church stands on what was once the highest point of the village on a small hill.
Built in the first half of the 13th century, the church was an important place of pilgrimage after 1325. The Marienborn - a sacred spring located below the church on the Odeborn river - and a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary were the reason why many people came to Girkhausen and brought modest prosperity to the small village.
After Count Henrich decreed in 1533 that the people in his Grafschaft had to belong to the Reformed faith, the village became increasingly impoverished and as a result the front nave of the church collapsed. The approx. 30 m high tower has stood alone ever since. After extensive restoration work between 1822 and 1990, it was preserved and is now home to the large "Ave Maria" bell dating back to the 13th century, the memorial for the fallen of the two world wars and the "open prayer room" in the vaulted cellar.