The church of the San Candido Monastery is known as the most beautiful Romanesque sacred building in the Eastern Alps.
In the centre of San Candido in the Upper Val Pusteria, the powerful Romanesque St. Candidus and St. Corbinian Collegiate Church - "Stiftskirche Innichen" in German, "Collegiata di San Candido" in Italian - is located. It was built around 1280, when the Benedictine Monastery of St. Candidus was converted into a Collegiate Monastery and required a Collegiate Church. The bell tower was added in the following century (1320-1326).
The church, a three-aisled basilica, has two chapels: the Dorotheen Chapel and the Auxiliary Saints Chapel. Particularly worth seeing are the late-Romanesque dome frescoes from the period of construction, which tell the Creation Story, the Crucifixion Group in the choir, a masterpiece of Romanesque sculpture art, and the three-aisled crypt, which is located under the altar.
The chapter house of the San Candido Monastery, the oldest one of Tyrol, nowadays houses the Collegiate Museum San Candido: Here you can admire sacral art, the Cathedral Treasure, books from the 15th to the 18th century and an impressive collection of manuscripts in various exhibition rooms. And how to reach the San Candido Collegiate Church? It is located in the centre of the village and is visible from afar thanks to its fortified exterior and green roofs. There are several parking spaces near the church and the adjacent town hall.
Currently, access may be subject to certain restrictions.
Contact info
- Via Atto / Attostrasse 1 - 39038 - San Candido / Innichen
- +39 348 7061648
- albuin.gruber@gmail.com
Admission
freely accessible (except during church services)
More information
Holy Mass (in German language) Tuesdays at 8.15 am and Sundays at 9 am. Guided tours of the Collegiate Church on request (phone: +39 348 7061648).
