City walking tour - Krems - Stadtpfarrkirche St. Veit, Pfarrplatz

The Baroque parish church of St. Veit is about 400 years old in its present form. The bottom section of the tower on the south side bears witness to the predecessor structure from the early 12^th century, a Romanesque basilica with a low tower. St. Veit was mentioned as titular saint of the church for the first time in 1178. The parish function was transferred at that time to the new church from St. Stephan am Berg. The building of the new parish church symbolized the victory of the Catholic Church during the Counter Reformation. In 1616 the old church was completely razed except for the tower, and Cypriano Biasino from Milan was commissioned to rebuild it. Construction on the new church progressed rapidly with the help of renowned builders such as Johann Baptist Spazio. Within 15 years they had completed an imposing Early Baroque basilica with eight side chapels and a large transept.

Today’s interior dates to the 18^th century. The high altar was designed by sculptor Matthias Götz in 1733/35 and features a painting by Johann Georg Schmidt, a Viennese colleague of Martin Johann Schmidt (Kremser Schmidt). Kremser Schmidt painted the five ceiling frescoes while Leopold Mitterhofer did the illusionist architectural painting. The side altar of black marble in the left transept was moved there in 1796 when the Capuchin monastery in Und was abolished. Its subject is the allegedly holy spring Maria Bründl. The people’s altar was built in 1971 over the stairs descending to the crypt. 
 
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