Aufkirchen was the original parish of our region, and the St. John’s Church served as the baptismal church for the surrounding communities. The name Ufkirchin is derived from this church and the Chapel of Mary, which stood by the southern wall of the churchyard. Pastor Sperl, the author of the extensive Aufkirchen Chronicle of 1908, discovered further evidence of Aufkirchen’s early history. The rectangular town square and the originally rectangular walled Aufkirchen with four gates suggested to him a Roman city. He speculated that it was Venaxamoduro, a fortified place by the Fish River and the seat of the IV Gallic Cohort.

It is undisputed that the Romans, under Emperor Domitian, came here around the year 90 AD and established a transitional camp in the Aufkirchen area. From there, they built the Limes north of the Hesselberg to protect the fertile Schwarzjura land, also known as the Tithe Land. After the Romans, the Alemanni settled in the areas originally inhabited by Celts, such as Gerolfingen and Irsingen.

Pastor Sperl speculated that around 540 AD, the Franks took possession of the former Roman city of Aufkirchen. They were already Christians and built a Chapel of Mary. From Aufkirchen, the Frankish settlement of Wittelshofen, Frankenhofen, Ruffenhofen, and Wörnitzhofen began.

The most significant event likely occurred in the year 755 AD, when Wunibald evangelized the Alemanni and King Pippin ordered the construction of baptismal churches. The Franks of Aufkirchen built a church within the walls of their castle for the surrounding area and established their fortified little town around it. From 760 AD onwards, Aufkirchen became the ecclesiastical and political center of our region.