The parish church of Saint Oswald stands a few steps from the birthplace museum and is the oldest structure in Marktl. The original church dates to 1297; the current building was rebuilt and enlarged in the 1850s in a neo-Gothic style. Inside, the baptismal font where the infant Joseph Ratzinger received his first sacrament on Holy Saturday 1927 — using freshly blessed Easter water — is now marked and draws visitors who wish to see where the future pope began his Catholic life.
The church is open daily and entry is free. Even without the papal connection, it is a handsome building in a pleasant square, and the surrounding Marktplatz has a few well-preserved burgher houses from the eighteenth century.