Adelheidisfest Vilich

A Saint, a Church, a District

Bonn-Vilich, a district on the right bank of the Rhine in the Beuel borough of Bonn, is closely associated with the name of Saint Adelheid of Vilich. Adelheid (died February 5, 1015) was the first abbess of the Vilich convent and is considered one of the most important spiritual figures of the early medieval Rhineland. Her relics are still kept today in the Stifts- und Pfarrkirche St. Peter (Collegiate and Parish Church of St. Peter), whose Romanesque core dates back to the 11th century. The annual Adelheidisfest keeps the memory of the saint and the medieval convent alive.

2026 — A Jubilee Year

The 2026 edition is special for two reasons: It marks the 1011th anniversary of the saint's death — and it is the 60th anniversary of the official confirmation of her veneration, which has been practised for centuries, by Pope Paul VI in 1966. The Catholic parish community of Vilich and the Archdiocese of Cologne are using the jubilee to present a particularly extensive festival programme: festive masses, a candlelight procession, spiritual reflections, a scholarly colloquium, and several musical highlights.

Eight Days of Spiritual and Historical Depth

From February 1st to 8th, 2026, the programme will run through the Vilich parish community and its sister parishes around Schwarzrheindorf. The solemn High Mass on Saturday, February 7th, at 6:00 PM, will be a first highlight, followed by the Festival Service on Sunday, February 8th, at 11:00 AM, and the subsequent candlelight procession through old Vilich: children with lanterns, adults with candles, and the reliquary bust of Saint Adelheid in the centre — a moving conclusion that combines tradition, history, and lived faith.

Colloquium in the Double Church

The festival is framed by a scholarly colloquium on February 5th in the double church of St. Maria and St. Clemens Schwarzrheindorf — the lower church of the famous 12th-century double chapel, whose consecration will be celebrated for the 875th time in 2026. Three lectures on the architecture of Rhenish women's choirs in the High Middle Ages, the Ezekiel cycle of Schwarzrheindorf, and the symbolism of light in the double chapel will combine architectural research, art history, and theology. Admission to the colloquium is free.

Right-Bank Bonn and its Identity

The Adelheidisfest is more than just a church festival week — it is a piece of identity preservation for right-bank Bonn. While the left bank of the Rhine absorbs media attention with Beethoven, the Federal Parliament, and the university, the right bank keeps alive a different city history with its medieval past, conventual culture, and popular piety. In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the federal city of Bonn, the festival is supported by the Denkmal- und Geschichtsverein Bonn-Rechtsrheinisch e.V. (Monument and History Association Bonn-Right Bank) in close cooperation with the parish community.