Late Baroque church built 1733-1746 by the Asam brothers as their private chapel. Crammed into a narrow plot on Sendlinger Straße, the interior is an explosion of gilt, frescoes, sculpture, and theatrical light. The most extreme Rococo in Munich.
Location
Altstadt-Lehel, Munich
Map
Insider Intel
Enter from the street (free admission). The church is tiny — 22 meters long — but every surface is decorated. Look up at the ceiling fresco (painted by Cosmas Damian Asam), the altar sculptures (by Egid Quirin Asam), and the light effects from the hidden windows. Stay five minutes or thirty; the intensity is consistent.
Afternoon when light enters from the west. The church is open daily with irregular hours — if the door is open, enter. Often overlooked by tourists rushing between Marienplatz and Sendlinger Tor.
Built by brothers Cosmas Damian Asam (painter) and Egid Quirin Asam (sculptor/architect) as their personal chapel next to their home. Completed in 1746. Dedicated to St. John Nepomuk, a 14th-century Bohemian martyr. The Asam brothers bought the land, designed the church, and built it without commission — complete artistic freedom resulted in the most theatrical church interior in Bavaria. The facade is squeezed between two buildings. Inside, every inch serves the Baroque drama of salvation. This is Rococo without restraint.