# St. Vitus

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Content updated: 2026-06-22

St. Vitus stands in Heidelberg-Handschuhsheim as Heidelberg’s oldest church, with continuous use documented since the eighth century. A record from 774 names this church in Heidelberg.

Its earliest stone fabric remains visible in the triumphal arch and eastern tower wall, while Romanesque and Gothic work shape the building. The squat tower rises above the steep roof.

Inside, massive Romanesque columns, a Gothic choir, and fresco cycles reveal successive periods of construction and worship. The choir has a polygonal ending and net-ribbed vault.

Stained-glass windows from 1964 show scenes from the Old and New Testaments beside furnishings from later renovations. A Kirchheim shell-limestone altar anchors the redesigned interior.

Frescoes of Jesus and saints accompany a tapestry with motifs from Revelation, bronze Stations of the Cross, and a Baroque Madonna. The organ installed in 1980 remains part of the interior.

Gravestones and epitaphs recall the Lords of Handschuhsheim, including the tomb of Hans von Ingelheim and Margarethe von Handschuhsheim. Their important Renaissance monument dates from 1519.

The church also reflects changing confessional history, serving Catholic and Protestant congregations before becoming exclusively Catholic in 1905. The former rectory dates from 1741 beside the church.

From the walled southern churchyard, St. Vitus connects local architecture with Heidelberg’s layered religious and civic history.

- City: [Heidelberg](https://mytuur.com/en/city/heidelberg/)

## Photos

- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_StVitus_6832de70f44f54dc86905e43_0.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:St_Vitus_Südost.JPG)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_StVitus_6832de70f44f54dc86905e43_1.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:St_Vitus_Westansicht.JPG)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_StVitus_6832de70f44f54dc86905e43_2.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:St_Vitus_Handschuhsheim_Chor.JPG)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_StVitus_6832de70f44f54dc86905e43_3.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:St_Vitus_Handschuhsheim_Fresko_hl_Odilia.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_StVitus_6832de70f44f54dc86905e43_4.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Tomb_of_Hans_and_Barbara_von_Handschuhsheim.jpg)

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