Saint Nicholas church, Late Gothic parish church in Merano, Italy

Saint Nicholas church is a late Gothic hall church on Pfarrplatz in Merano's old town, with three naves of equal height separated by round pillars and a polygonal choir. Its west facade has a triangular gable with pinnacles, a rose window and a pointed portal, and a 78-metre tower adjoins the choir to the south.

A church on this site is first mentioned around 1266, dedicated to Saint Nicholas and to Peter Martyr, canonised shortly before. In 1302 the Bishop of Chur, Siegfried, promoted its enlargement; the Gothic choir was consecrated in 1367, built by stonemasons from Rottweil. Stefan Tobler of Burghausen vaulted the nave after 1438, and the completed church was consecrated on 10 November 1465. Merano became an independent parish only in 1657.

The interior displays wooden statues of saints and historical paintings showing scenes from the life of Jesus, reflecting local religious devotion over centuries. These artworks give visitors a sense of the spiritual traditions that shaped the community.

The main entrance is the Gothic south portal facing the arcades, not the west facade on the square. The tower passage holds 14th-century vaulting and frescoes by Master Wenceslas. Since early 2026 the 78-metre tower has been wrapped in scaffolding for crack repairs, so the clock face and spire are hidden from view.

Around the church stood Merano's town cemetery until 1848, when it was moved behind the Church of the Holy Spirit. About 80 gravestones survive on the walls, among them those of the Pendl and Wasmann sculptor families. One belongs to Anna von Paravicini, who at eighteen married the eighty-two-year-old Bernardin von Paravicini; he lived to 104 and they had seven children.