Absam is situated at an altitude of 632 m in the hill country of the lower Inn valley. The first mention of Abazanes dates from AD 995. Absam is a popular pilgrimage site.

The parish and pilgrimage church Sankt Michael was built around 1420/1440 in Late Gothic style and was remodelled in Baroque and Rococo style around 1770/1780. The church contains a Late Gothic crucifix of 1492 and a fresco of Our Lady of 1470. Pilgrimages to this site began in 1797 when the image of the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in the window of a farm house. The church received the status of a Basilica minor in 2000.

The famous violin maker Jakob STAINER (1617–1683) was born in Absam.