München - Ludwigskirche

Ludwigskirche, a parish church as well as the University church, was built between 1829 and 1844 during the development of the northern section of Ludwigstrasse. It was designed by Friedrich von Gärtner, an architect who took his inspiration from the Romantic school, at the behest of King Ludwig I.

The church suffered serious bomb damage during the Second World War but was later restored.

The church's relationship to its surroundings is skillfully contrived. The facade with its widely spaced towers is impressive when seen at an angle from the Ludwigstrasse, and also makes an effective termination of Schellingstrasse. Gärtner also established a relationship between his church and the Baroque Theatinerkirche at the south end of Ludwigstrasse and on the opposite side, taking over from that church its cruciform plan (with small transepts) and the pattern of the facade with its twin towers. Facade

On the facade, in circular niches above the porch, are figures (by Ludwig Schwanthaler, 1832-35) of Christ and the Four Evangelists. The round-headed arches of the porch are continued in the arcading on either side, which links the church with two plain square houses, the presbytery on the south side and a house on the north side, once occupied by Ludwig von Gärtner.

The interior of the church is dominated by a large fresco (1836-40) of the Last Judgment on the altar wall of the chancel. The artist, Peter von Cornelius, was a member of the "Nazarene" group of painters, founded in 1809, who gave fresh impetus to 19th C. monumental painting. It is the world's largest mural painting after Michelangelo's "Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel. The frescoes in the transepts and crossing were also the work of Cornelius.