Collegiate Church of San Candido

The collegiate church is the heart of San Candido and the most significant Romanesque church in Tyrol. It was built on the site of an abbey founded by Duke Tassilo III in 769, and the current building was consecrated in 1284; the massive tower was erected several decades later. The interior, plain and serene in a way found in few other Alpine churches, is distinguished by a monumental wooden crucifix from the mid-13th century and dome frescoes from the same period, while a stairway beneath the altar leads down to a Romanesque crypt. Adjacent to the church is the chapter museum, housing a treasury and an ancient library.