Degerndorf is situated in the Upper Palatine Jura between Nuremberg and Regensburg in the picturesque Laaber valley and is counted among the oldest settlements in the county of Neumarkt i.d.Opf. (in the Upper Palatine).
As old stone age finds (8000 - 6000 BC) show the protective location in the valley and the natural ford to cross the river attracted people to settle here long ago Degerndorf was the starting point of clearings northwards which were ordered by the bishops of Regensburg. The village is first mentioned in a historical document in 882 - 885 AD when a nobilis (nomine) Hauuart (that is Latin, it means Noble Hawart) bequeathed his estate in Tegarindorf (that is very old German, Tegar means large).
Situated at the edge of the imperial forest Machendorf Degerndorf was seat of a parish (prime parish) which was founded at the latest in the time of Bishop Wolfgang (972 - 994). In all probability it existed 100 years earlier. Bishop Wolfgang ceded in favor of the monastery St. Paul (Middle Cathedral) in Regensburg as provisions a third of the tax Degerndorf had to pay in kind.
During the 30 year war (1618 - 1648) the church fell victim to fire. In 1737 it was rebuilt in the style which exists today and the interior was converted in baroque style. The fresco at the ceiling, which apparently stems from the middle of the 18th century, was created by a Velburg painter named Johann Georg Hämmerle.
Degerndorf has been a pilgrimage of great importance since medieval times. On August 15th, the day when Catholics celebrate the Assumption of Virgin Mary, - Great Woman's Day- numerous pilgrims took part arriving in processions from various villages in the region. A votive tablet in the church shows that statue with the miraculous powers has been honored for centuries. The pilgrimages still take place, the so called "Kräuterweihe" consecration of bouquets of flowers, too. The consecrated bunches of flowers are believed to render protection from lightning, fire and all kinds of disaster.
In 1557 the parish of Degerndorf was disbanded and attached to the parish of Lupburg. Since that time the church in Degerndorf has been a branch of the parish of Lupburg.
As a result of a Bavarian government reform in 1978 the community of Degerndorf lost its legal entity and was attached to the Lupburg community.
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