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.

Seen here may be Saint Erasmus of Antiochia (aka Erasmus of Formia or St. Elmo). He has been tortured in many way, according to the legend he died when his abdomen was slit open and his intestines wound around a windlass. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers - just like St. Vitus.