Heiliger Kilian

Heiliger Kilian is a statue in Würzburg, Germany, portraying the patron saint of the city and its diocese. Kilian’s traditional attributes are a bishop’s crozier and a sword. The sculpture connects with Würzburg’s long tradition of depicting the missionary throughout churches, public spaces, and historic buildings. Other representations appear on the Old Main Bridge, at the Scherenbergtor of Marienberg Fortress, and inside Neumünster Church.

According to tradition, Kilian came from Ireland to Würzburg in the late seventh century with Kolonat and Totnan. The three preached Christianity in Würzburg and the surrounding region before their deaths around 689. Their bodies were supposedly buried in a horse stable where Neumünster Church now stands. Kilian’s relics rest in the church crypt, while his skull lies in a crystal shrine at Würzburg Cathedral. Around his feast day in July, Würzburg displays the shrine and holds the Kiliani Volksfest and a market fair. The saint also appears in local place names, including Kiliansplatz, Kiliansbrunnen, and the Kiliansturm on Marienberg.