Two elderly men were caught fighting in a church, the incident being filmed by a German tourist who was visiting at the time.

The incident took place at the church dedicated to St Nicholas in Catania, and the footage has gone viral.

The two men are seen at each other’s throats, at one point one of them picking up a chair to use as a weapon, but having second thoughts and releasing it before the situation escalated.

Italian media report that the two men were identified as employees of the locality’s council and both were suspended pending the conclusion of an investigation.