Stadtpfarrkirche

The Protestant town church of St. Vitus originally dates back to a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which was donated by Elisabeth von Hohenlohe, the widow of Schenk Friedrich III, and her son Konrad. It was first mentioned in a document in 1417. It was initially subordinate to the mother church in Münster. In 1433, it became a parish church and later the burial place of the Schenken von Limpurg-Gaildorf. Over the course of time, it was extensively enlarged and embellished in the late Gothic style.

The town fire of 1868 was a catastrophe for Gaildorf. The fire also spread to the church: only the outer walls of the nave and choir remained. Reconstruction in the neo-Gothic style was surprisingly quick. The church was reconsecrated as early as 1870.

Shortly before the end of the war in 1945, the town church was once again set on fire by artillery fire. Only the surrounding walls of the nave were left standing. The vault of the choir, the oldest part of the church dating back to 1521, had also survived. As a result, the historically valuable epitaphs of the Schenken von Limpurg from the 16th and 17th centuries, which stand on the north side of the choir, were fortunately preserved. The renovation was carried out without the neo-Gothic ornamentation of the 19th century. The church was re-consecrated in 1949.

Today, despite its proximity to the city center, the Protestant town church is a place of tranquility.