In the late 8th Century, a church was built on the grounds of an old Roman cemetery and called Sanctos. In 982, the foundation stone for a Gothic cathedral was laid, and actual work commenced in 1263 to commemorate St. Viktor, roman soldier and last martyr, killed under the apostate emperor Julian 362-363. At the end of the 14th Century, Xanten was surrounded by a city wall. In 1392, the northern part of the city came into the possession of the dukes of Cleves, while the southern part was still possessed by the Archbishopric of Cologne. In the 17th century Xanten was with Cleves inherited by the Margraviate of Brandenburg.
In February, 1945, bombardment of the city began. Especially heavy bombing of February 10 and 13 killed almost 300 civilians and 18 foreign workers. The bombing destroyed large parts of Xanten. The ancient cathedral was nearly destroyed as was the medieval town center along with 85% of the town. In the Xanten town cemetery, lying among the rest of the victims, are the remains of ten members of one family. The town was then occupied by British troops who evacuated the population elsewhere until Germany was defeated for good and fully occupied. After the war, many refugees from East Prussia found refuge here.