Kottingwörth - St. Vitus

Kottingwörth developed from a settlement on an island ("Werder") in the Altmühl river. The first wooden church may date back to the time of Christianisation. The first stone church was built in the 12th century. It got consecrated between 1183 and 1195. The towers were built between 1250 and 1310. In the first half of the 16th century, the towers were raised. In the years 1760/61, the medieval church building was replaced by a baroque new building.

The oldest part of the church is the basement of the west tower, dated to the 13th century. Around 1310 the choir of the church (now the Vitus chapel) was adorned with frescoes. During the renovation work in the chapel in 1891 these murals were rediscovered under a coat of paint. The paintings are still well preserved.

According to this legend, Vitus was a 7-year-old son of a senator of Lucania. He fled his father´s attempts, to make him turn away from his faith and fled with his tutor and his nanny. When Emperor Diocletian heard about the boy, he brought him to Rome because Vitus was supposed to heal his son, who was afflicted by an evil spirit. He did so, but as he remained steadfast in the Christian faith, he was tortured. He was even thrown into boiling oil along with his companions. Miraculously an angel brought back the three to Lucania, where they died from the tortures they had endured.