The beginnings of this church can be traced back to the 11th century. A new church was built between 1407 and 1412. The part that has survived to this day, the choir room, shows Gothic architecture. In 1751 a conversion was necessary because of the danger of the west gable collapsing. The nave was demolished and a new one built in the baroque style that was modern at the time. There was a considerable extension to the south and north, because the old parish church had become too small for the people of Vilseck. The church tower with its 54.31 meters towers over all church towers in the area. The largest of the five bells is the "Peuglerin" named after its donor. It was to be rung at the funerals of poor people. Its diameter is 2.60 m and it weighs 51 hundredweight.
The image of the magnificent high altar shows a scene from the life of St. Egidius. Four larger-than-life figures stand between the pillars of the altar and on the consoles attached to the sides. On the left are St. George and Bishop Otto I of Bamberg and on the right are St. Sebastian and Wolfgang, the patron saints of the diocese of Regensburg.
The coronation of Mary by the Holy Trinity is depicted in the upper part of the altar. The two figures of Holy Emperor Heinrich II and his wife, St. Kunigunde, give an indication of the earlier affiliation of the city of Vilseck to the diocese of Bamberg.
The relief panels from the Dürer school in the choir are particularly worth seeing. They come from the earlier winged altar from 1520 and depict scenes from the life of Mary.
The nave is decorated with six magnificent side altars, on the right the Mother of God altar with figures of the parents of Mary, St. Joachim and St. Anna and the altar of St. Nepomuk; left the cross altar with Maria and Johannes and the St. Kajetan altar.
At the back of the church is the Laurentius altar, with a well-made statue of the saint holding his instrument of torture, the "glowing" grid. Also not to be overlooked here is a well composed figure of St. Florian.
Source: Excerpts from Church Guide St. Ägidius Vilseck
Translated by Google •
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