The St. Kilian church is a three-nave Romanesque pillar basilica. It was built in 1105 by Wiprecht von Groitzsch.
The St. Kilian church is a three-nave Romanesque pillar basilica. It was built in 1105 by Wiprecht von Groitzsch. St. Kilian was the patron saint of Frankish settlers.
The church was largely preserved in its original form. In the 18th century, the church interior was redecorated in the baroque style. In addition, it received a baroque tower, which still characterises the city's skyline.
The Romanesque west portal, made of Rochlitz porphyrtuff, is especially noteworthy. The design with animal motifs, mask heads and richly decorated arched moulding is a special feature in Saxony.
In 1957, the furnishings of the 18th and 19th centuries were removed from inside the church in order to restore its Romanesque origin. The late-Gothic Marian altar comes from the village of Witznitz (near Borna), which had to give way to lignite in 1920. The organ is the work of the Saxon organ builder Gottfried Silbermann. It was later expanded by Johann Gottlieb Trampeli. This organ was originally created by Silbermann for the St. John's Church in Chemnitz. Later, it was sold to Auligk (near Pegau) and finally erected in 1957 after restoration in St. Kilian Church.