Stams - Town and Cistercian Abbey Attractions

Stams (671m/2,097ft) is a trim little town on high ground a little way south of the Inn, with a large Cistercian Abbey (rebuilt c. 1700; conducted tours). The abbey was founded in 1273 by the mother of Conradin in memory of her son, the last of the Hohenstaufens, who was executed in Naples in 1268. The church (13th C., remodeled in Baroque style in 17th-18th C.), recognizable by its two prominent towers, is the burial-place of the Dukes of Tirol. It is noted for its high altar of 1613 with figures of saints, a fine pulpit (c. 1740) and 18th C. wrought-iron screen. In the Heiligblutkapelle (Chapel of the Holy Blood, 1716), on the southern side of the church, will be found the beautiful Rosengitter (Rose Screen). To the west stands the parish church of Stams (1313-18; interior Baroque 1755), with a pilgrimage painting of John the Baptist above the high altar.