The Gothic parish church of St Nicholas is the dominant building in Merano's old town — its tall, narrow tower visible from across the valley. The church was built in several phases from the 13th to the 16th centuries and the resulting interior has an elongated choir and a relatively simple nave characteristic of South Tyrolean Gothic. The polychrome stone facade is well-preserved, with carved portal decorations that repay a close look.
The interior contains some good late Gothic carved altarpieces and paintings, as well as a 15th-century fresco cycle. The ossuary chapel to the south side of the church is smaller and older, with 14th-century frescoes on the vaulted ceiling depicting the life of Christ. The area around the church — Piazza del Grano and the surrounding streets — is the core of the old town, with the weekly market held nearby.