The Wilten Basilica is located close to the large Wilten Abbey, but is a free-standing church, not part of this monastery complex. It is only 500 metres from Innsbruck's Western Railway Station (Innsbruck Westbahnhof). The church is consecrated in honour of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. However, its other name, the Church of the Virgin Mary under Four Columns, is also widespread. This is due to the main sanctuary of the church, the image of the Virgin Mary in its altar.
The first settlement appeared here in Roman times, it was called Veldidena and gave its name to the whole area. It is believed that even then the first Christians worshipped the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary, and later in the 5th century the first early Christian sanctuary was built here, which was confirmed by archaeological excavations.
For a time, the Vilten Basilica was considered part of a large Premonstratensian abbey founded as early as 1138. Despite the fact that hardly any traces of earlier buildings have survived, the Wilten Basilica is one of the oldest parish churches in Innsbruck.
The present building was already built between 1751 and 1756 in the elegant Baroque style. Its appearance is dominated by the main façade, which is characterised primarily by two symmetrical towers flanking the portal of the church. Both of them are crowned with graceful onion-shaped domes, which is typical of Austria and Bavaria.
The interior of the church, which is considered a masterpiece of Austrian Rococo, is striking. Especially noteworthy are the exquisite mouldings and sumptuous frescoes on the walls and ceilings of the church. They depict scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. And in the main altar of the cathedral is its main shrine - a golden statue of the Virgin and Child, dating back to the beginning of the XIII century. It is surrounded by four marble columns, which gave the church its name.
