Wiltener Basilika description and photos - Austria: Innsbruck (Topic)

Wiltener Basilika description and photos - Austria: Innsbruck. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Wiltener Basilika.

Photo and description

The Wilten Basilica is located not far from the large Wilten Abbey, however, it is a separate church that is not part of this monastery complex. It is just 500 meters from Innsbruck West Train Station (Innsbruck Westbahnhof). The church is consecrated in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. However, its other name is also widespread - the Church of the Virgin Mary under four columns. This is due to the main shrine of the temple - the image of the Mother of God, located in its altar.

The first settlement appeared here during the time of the Romans, it was called Veldiden and gave the name to the entire area. It is believed that even then the first Christians worshiped the miraculous image of the Mother of God, and later, in the 5th century, the first early Christian sanctuary was erected here, which was confirmed during archaeological excavations.

For some time, the Wilten Basilica was considered part of a large Premonstrati abbey, founded in 1138. Despite the fact that traces of earlier buildings have practically not survived, Wilten Basilica is one of the oldest parish churches in the city of Innsbruck.

Its modern building was built already in 1751-1756 in an elegant Baroque style. Its external appearance is dominated by the main facade, which stands out, first of all, by two symmetrical towers bordering the portal of the temple. Both of them are crowned with graceful onion-shaped domes, which is typical of Austria and Bavaria.

The interior of the church, considered a masterpiece of Austrian Rococo, strikes the imagination. The graceful stucco molding and luxurious frescoes on the walls and ceilings of the temple are especially worth noting. They depict scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. And in the main altar of the cathedral is its main shrine - a golden statuette of the Mother of God with the Child, dating back to the beginning of the 13th century. It is surrounded by four marble columns, which gave the whole church their name.

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Topic: Wiltener Basilika description and photos - Austria: Innsbruck.