Hof became part of Bavaria in 1806, from that time the number of Catholics living in the town rose steadily. It was for them that the neo-gothic St Mary’s Church was planned and built by the architect to the Regensburg Cathedral Denzinger. The cornerstone was laid in 1864 and the first service held in June 1867.

The location of the main Catholic church in Hof is particularly favourable: at the end of Hof’s Altstadt and with its two towers, 57 metres high, it can be seen from quite a distance and from every direction.