The first parish church stood in the cemetery of the town of Rastenberg. The exact location of the small church "Sankt Kiliani" is not known.
The convent church "Beatae Virginis Mariae" belonged to the nunnery "Sankt Marien" near the upper gate and was dedicated to the "Blessed Virgin Mary".
The Cistercian convent was mentioned in a document in 1294.
After the Reformation arrived in Rastenberg, the Cistercian convent was abandoned and the nuns left Rastenberg.
Around 1550, at great financial expense, the Roman Catholic convent church was converted into a Protestant parish church. The previous parish church of St. Kilian was in such a bad condition that it was left to its fate.
The parish church, colloquially known as the "Old Parish" still stands today next to the cemetery, was still in use for over 300 years.
Rastenberg and its parish church suffered mightily during the 30 Years War (1618-1648). On August 31, 1631, Croatians passing through plundered the church and on May 18, 1637, the imperial troops set fire to a part of Rastenberg.
It was not until after the war that Rastenberg began to rebuild and the church was consecrated again in 1655.
However, only 169 years should pass until the next blow of fate, the great town fire of 1824. 42 residential buildings and the school fell victim to the flames along with the church.
Due to the generous support of the sovereign of the Grand Duchy of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, the reconstruction could be started shortly after the destruction of the church. According to the designs and under the construction management of the Grand Ducal Chief Building Director Clemens Wenzeslaus Coudray, a classicist sacral church was built within two years. The church was consecrated on 14 December 1826.
At present, the church and organ are being extensively renovated. The target date for completion is the 200th anniversary of the consecration of the church, on 14 December 2026.