Munich - Asam Church Asamkirche

Must-see attractions nearby: Cathedral Church of Our Lady New Town Hall Marien Square Bavarian State Opera House Asam Church Hellabrunn Zoo Bavarian National Museum

The doorway is flanked by massive columns, and above it is a figure of St John of Nepomuk kneeling in prayer.

In the interior of the church, a wrought-iron grille (1776) separates the stucco figures of the saints from the long nave with its galleries and projecting cornice under the ceiling. On the ceiling is a magnificent fresco depicting the life of St John of Nepomuk by Cosmas Damian Asam (restored 1977).

The impressive twilight effect of the interior is created by its concealed windows. When, during restoration work in the 1970s, a large window was inserted in the choir and the church was flooded with light, there was a bitter controversy among art historians about the authenticity of the change, and in the end the authorities responsible for the conservation of historical monuments decided the window should be closed up.

The most notable feature of the interior is the high altar, enclosed by four twisted columns. On the altar is a glass shrine containing a wax figure of St John of Nepomuk. The altar in the gallery depicts the Trinity, with two angels in adoration. On the cornice above the high altar is God the Father, in a Papal tiara, bending over the Crucified Christ, with a dove representing the Holy Ghost in the aureole above.