St. Bartholomäus, Gothic church in Kettig, Germany

St. Bartholomew is a Gothic church in Kettig featuring a two-nave structure separated by octagonal columns and pointed arches. The exterior walls are reinforced with buttresses for structural support.

A parish church in Kettig is documented in 1204, and construction of the present nave, choir and tower is dated to around 1470. Around 1500 a side aisle was added and the south wall replaced by pointed arcades on octagonal columns. In 1723 the tower received its Baroque mansard roof with a pointed helm; in 1899 the church was extended westward and a clock by Heinrich Zilliken of Münstermaifeld was installed. Bombing on 29 December 1944 destroyed the stained glass windows.

The church is dedicated to the Apostle Bartholomew, with Saint Sebastian as secondary patron. Its 1899 neo-Gothic high altar, by Koblenz sculptor Wilhelm Mayr, shows the Annunciation on the tabernacle doors, the Nativity and Adoration of the Magi in the fixed reliefs, and the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple and Emmaus on the wings.

The church stands at the intersection of Andernacher and Weißenthurmer Streets and is easily accessible on foot. As a protected cultural monument, it maintains regular visiting hours that should be checked before your visit.

During renovation work in 1973, a hidden fresco depicting three women at Jesus's tomb was discovered in a side nave niche. This unexpected artwork reveals that surprising artistic details remain hidden beneath older layers.