Dom zu St. Jakob (St. Jakob Cathedral), Innsbruck (must see)

In 1180 a document mentioned a church attached to Wilten Abbey. It was repeatedly wracked by earthquakes and damaged by fires in the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1650 it was decided to demolish the church and build a new one.

In 1716 architect Johann Jacob Herkomer was selected for the job. The new church was inaugurated in 1724. Parishoners, nobility and the Empress donated generously toward its completion.

The Cathedral has two bell towers and a formidable onion shaped copper dome. The facade is made of limestone and marble. Niches with rounded arches in the concave facade hold limestone statues of Tyrolean saints. Hans Andre created the statues between 1941 and 1960. The Virgin in the facade gable and the mounted Saint James are also his.

The structure plan is cruciform. There are two towers, a double-bayed nave, a semicircular transept and a straight choir. The nave and the transept are covered by domes ornately decorated with frescoes. The over-all ambience is Renaissance.

Massive weighty columns support high rounded arches, creating a triumphal frame for the high altar. The altar and choir are illuminated by a high dome. The ceiling consists of false saucer domes of wood with concave moldings.

The marble high altar contains the Cathedral's treasure of treasures: the 1530 painting Maria Hilf (Mary of succor) by Lucas Cranach the Elder. The Cathedral also holds the canopied tomb of Archduke Maximilion III.