St. Viti Kirche - Heeslingen

It has been over 1000 years since a church was built in Heeslingen (in 961). St. Viti's Church, named after the Christian martyr Vitus (4th century), still stands on its site and is the oldest church building between the Weser and Elbe rivers.

For a long time, it belonged to the canon monastery in Heeslingen, which dates back to a donation of land and buildings (961) by Count Hed. The rights, income and constitution at that time can still be read today in the foundation charter (March 17, 986 by King Otto III). In 973, the third abbess, Hathui, replaced the existing wooden church with a new church made of fieldstone. The monastery was granted market rights in 1038. However, when it was moved to Zeven in 1141, Heeslingen became increasingly less important. St. Viti, however, remained standing as a witness to a long history with few changes.

The present neo-Gothic tower was built in 1897. The interior underwent many changes, such as the replacement of the 12th century wooden ceiling with a cross vault. A fire in 1620 destroyed the church roof, spire and stalls, which also had to be replaced. Today, a winged altar from the 14th century and a pulpit from 1593 can be found in the interior.