Catholic parish church,
18th century
The Catholic Church of St. Kilian is unusually far away from the town center.
On the other hand, it is situated beautifully in the vineyards – with a great view of the Rhine valley and Nierstein. The location seems perfect for a church here and in fact there was already a small chapel here centuries ago, during the Franconian era. In 742 the majordomo Carloman, a brother of King Pippin, gave this “St. Mary’s Basilica” to the Bishop of Würzburg as a gift. The donation documented and today this document is considered to be the oldest known mention of Nierstein. In the course of the donation, the church was consecrated St. Kilian, the patron saint of the Würzburg diocese. It still bears his name today.
If you walk around the church, you will find an old stone monument in the north-east corner of the building. This dates back to this Franconian era and reminds of an old cemetery that once was here.
The oldest part of the current building is the mighty, Romanesque choir tower from the late 12th century. It has only been wearing its distinctive bulbous spire since the 18th century, after a lightning stroke in 1767 set the old roof on fire.
After a renovation in 1902, magnificent paintings characterized the interior of the nave: a representation of the Last Judgment. But in 1960 the paintings no longer corresponded to the modern zeitgeist and were whitewashed. Which is actually a shame!
For our next stop you should be a good walker, because now we’ll go up to watch tower in the vineyards. But there you will be rewarded with a great view over Nierstein and the Rhine Valley! Our map at the bottom of the website shows you how to get there.
Route to the next station:
Medieval signal tower
Arrived?
Catholic parish church,
18th century
The Catholic Church of St. Kilian is unusually far away from the town center.
On the other hand, it is situated beautifully in the vineyards – with a great view of the Rhine valley and Nierstein. The location seems perfect for a church here and in fact there was already a small chapel here centuries ago, during the Franconian era. In 742 the majordomo Carloman, a brother of King Pippin, gave this “St. Mary’s Basilica” to the Bishop of Würzburg as a gift. The donation documented and today this document is considered to be the oldest known mention of Nierstein. In the course of the donation, the church was consecrated St. Kilian, the patron saint of the Würzburg diocese. It still bears his name today.
If you walk around the church, you will find an old stone monument in the north-east corner of the building. This dates back to this Franconian era and reminds of an old cemetery that once was here.
The oldest part of the current building is the mighty, Romanesque choir tower from the late 12th century. It has only been wearing its distinctive bulbous spire since the 18th century, after a lightning stroke in 1767 set the old roof on fire.
After a renovation in 1902, magnificent paintings characterized the interior of the nave: a representation of the Last Judgment. But in 1960 the paintings no longer corresponded to the modern zeitgeist and were whitewashed. Which is actually a shame!
For our next stop you should be a good walker, because now we’ll go up to watch tower in the vineyards. But there you will be rewarded with a great view over Nierstein and the Rhine Valley! Our map at the bottom of the website shows you how to get there.
Route to the next station:
Medieval signal tower
Arrived?