St. Otmar im Werd

The small Rhine island at the lower foot of Lake Constance has an important past. The earliest traces go back to the time of the pile dwellers. The first abbot of the monastery of St. Gallen, Otmar, died on the island of Werd on November 16, 759, after being deposed for political reasons and exiled here as a convict of the Franks. The abbot was buried on the island, but ten years later the monks from St. Gallen brought him back to their monastery and buried him a second time. In the 10th century, a chapel was built on the former burial site of St. Otmar, which became a place of pilgrimage. In 1767, this received a new boost after a relic of St. Otmar was brought to the island. Franciscan monks have lived in the priest's house attached to the chapel since 1957. The island can be reached via a wooden footbridge. No guests can be accommodated on the island. Every day, the church's Liturgy of the Hours is prayed at 7.00 am, 12.00 pm and 6.00 pm. These so-called prayer hours are open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend. The Vitus Church stood opposite the island near the banks of the Rhine from the 8th century until 1738. It was demolished due to dilapidation and replaced by the late Baroque Catholic parish church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (south of the main street).