Kilian came to - well legendary - According iroschottischen from an aristocratic family. He therefore joined the monastic rule of Kolumban, it first examined the loneliness on, studied the sciences of his day, was ordained bishop and the pilgrimage to Rome, finally, in order to obtain the confirmation of its internal order, Glaubensbote to be.

With its 12 colleagues on the model of Jesus and his disciples, including the priest Kolonat and the deacon Totnan, he moved to Germania, in order for the Christian faith to advertise. It was the beautiful location of Wuerzburg, who led Kilian, to remain there. Were estimated Kilian and his colleagues first primarily because of their practical skills in farming, in the timber industry and cattle breeding, the outgoing of Ireland Mission movement has always been a bit of culture and civilization of central Europe lagging behind, the monks were also iroschottischen development workers.

With rising prosperity grew with the Germans, the willingness to deal with abuses of the new religion. Many baptisms were the result - even Duke Gozbert settled according to the tradition of baptizing Kilian - actually, he was undoubtedly baptized, but his life hardly influenced by faith, by Kilian, he was confronted with the canon: Kilian demanded by the tradition after him, is by the widow of his brother called to disconnect Gailana; such a marriage was under Roman law permitted, but not after church. Gozbert meet the demand, but forgave the Gailana Kilian not. The sorry story of Kilian reported: When her husband was on a war, she let him and his comrades Kolonat and Totnan in the year 689 during their nightly prayer retreat in surprise. The swords gezückten stretched Kilian, Kolonat and the Bible Totnan opposite. The perpetrators could not impress them - like today at the stains on the book cover in the Würzburg University Library is to be seen. The murderers blurred all traces of the raid, buried the corpses and let it build a horse barn, but the horses shy.

The Gozbert returning from the war, the insanity of the beaten indeed confessed murderer and a Einsiedlerin the blood-soaked soil had gathered, the place of his iniquities have shown. So were the corpses - a wonderful way unharmed - dead. The murderer mentally umnachtet Kilians committed suicide, died in the Anstifterin madness. Her husband was murdered. The people saw this as a proof of the strength of the new religion and converted to Christianity.

 
Kilian with the golden sword. Statue on the old bridge in Wuerzburg, in the background the Fortress Marienburg
Kilian than that actually earned the Bishop of Würzburg, and that he christened the Duke did, in other sources denied Kilian still applies as the apostle of the Franks country.

Bishop Burkard of Wurzburg had Kilians bones on 8 743 first collected in July - so the feast. 788 they were in the presence of Charles the Great in the cathedral, built as a burial convicted whose replaced today with the Neumuenster Kilians-grave is. In place on Wuerzburg Kilians-day till today instead of a pilgrimage. Also in the from Würzburg missionierten Saxon areas, in Paderborn, spread the devotion in Ireland was the latest in the 9th Century cult.