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Maria Wörth (Slovene: Otok) is a municipality in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The resort town is situated on a peninsula at the southern shore of the Wörthersee. In the east it shares borders with the City of Klagenfurt. The municipality consists of the two Katastralgemeinden Maria Wörth and Reifnitz (Ribnica).
A first St. Mary's Church was erected about 875 under the rule of the Diocese of Freising and was first mentioned in a 894 deed. As the site had then been an island, the Old High German term Wörth or Werder like Slovene Otok denotes a piece of land surrounded by water. The church served for the translation of the relics of Saints Primus and Felician and played an important role within the Christian mission in Carinthia. About 1150 Bishop Otto of Freising founded a college of canons here and had the small Winterkirche chapel built beside the collegiate church. In 1399 both churches had been destroyed by a fire. The college finally became an annex of the Millstatt Benedictine abbey in 1500.
The nowadays late Gothic parish church Saints Primus and Felician stands on the highest point of the peninsula, with the neighbouring Winterkirche beneath it. It is a major pilgrimage site and, due to its romantic setting, a popular wedding church.
[edit] Twin towns
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