The Allerheiligen-Hofkirche (Court Church of All Saints) is a church in the

Munich Residenz The Residenz (, ''Residence'') in central Munich is the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria. The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors for its architecture, room decorations, and displ ...

(the royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs) designed by

Leo von Klenze Leo von Klenze (Franz Karl Leopold von Klenze; 29 February 1784, Buchladen (Bockelah / Bocla) near Schladen – 26 January 1864, Munich) was a German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer. Court architect of Bavarian King Ludwig I, Leo ...

and built between 1826 and 1837. The church was badly damaged from bombing during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and for decades remained a ruin before undergoing partial restoration and secularization. It is now used for concerts and events.

History

The ''Allerheiligen-Hofkirche'' was commissioned in 1825 by

Ludwig I of Bavaria en, Louis Charles Augustus , image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg , caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825 , succession=King of Bavaria , reign = , coronation ...

, inspired by the

Cappella Palatina The Palatine Chapel ( it, Cappella Palatina) is the royal chapel of the Norman Palace in Palermo, Sicily. This building is a mixture of Byzantine, Norman and Fatimid architectural styles, showing the tricultural state of Sicily during the 12t ...

, the richly decorated

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

royal chapel in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

, where he had attended Christmas mass in 1823. The commission marked a reversal of the policy of secularisation, carried out under his father Maximilian I at the beginning of the century. Leo von Klenze (1784–1864) produced various designs between 1826 and 1828, using not only the Capella Palatina, but also St Mark's in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

as inspiration. Even before a design had been agreed there had been a ceremonial laying of the foundation stone in 1826; and the church was completed and dedicated on October 29, 1837. The church was designed with a private entrance for the king from within the Residence. The public entrance faced east, towards the Marstallplatz. Above the doorway a

deesis In Byzantine art, and in later Eastern Orthodox art generally, the Deësis or Deisis (, ; el, δέησις, "prayer" or "supplication"), is a traditional iconic representation of Christ in Majesty or Christ Pantocrator: enthroned, carrying a boo ...

sculpted in relief is framed by a gothic

wimperg In Gothic architecture, a wimperg is a gable-like crowning over portals and windows and is also called an ''ornamental gable''. Outside of immediate architecture, the wimperg is also found as a motif in Gothic carving. Etymology The word has ...

, with statues of

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

and

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

on either side. Inside, the nave is made up of two domes and an

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

, each separated by an arch of brickwork. These, like the columns that separated the side aisles and supported the gallery, were originally richly ornamented.

Heinrich Maria von Hess Heinrich Maria von Hess (19 April 1798 in Düsseldorf - 29 Märch 1863 in Munich) was a German painter, a member of the Nazarene movement. Biography Hess was born at Düsseldorf and brought up to the profession of art by his father, the engra ...

, with various assistants, created frescoes on a gold background: the first dome had

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

scenes, the second Christ and the apostles, with the four evangelists in the four

pendentives In architecture, a pendentive is a constructional device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or of an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. The pendentives, which are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to point ...

, and the apse showed the Trinity above a figure of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

. On April 25, 1944, bombs destroyed all but the outer walls. The rich interior ornament was almost completely lost. Although other parts of the Residence were restored soon after the war, the ruined church was left to deteriorate for many years. In 1986 the decision was made to restore it. The restoration was completed in 2003, together with the recreation of an enclosed garden, the ''

Kabinettsgarten The Kabinettsgarten is a small courtyard on the eastern side of the royal residence in Munich. The Kabinettsgarten adjoins the ''Allerheiligen-Hofkirche''. History In the mid-19th century, the courtyard was built on the eastern edge of the resi ...

'', on its north side. No attempt was made to recreate the original ornament in the restored building, which instead in its simplicity shows the architectural qualities of Klenze's design. It is now used for concerts and events, within the limits of respecting its former character as a church."Court Church of All Saints"
information on use from the "Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen" It is a regular concert venue for the ensemble Taschenphilharmonie.

Footnotes

External links

Allerheiligen-Hofkirche (Court Church of All Saints)
information from the ''Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen'' ("Bavarian Administration of State Palaces, Gardens and Lakes")
Photo spread of All Saints Court Church / Allerheiligen-Hofkirche
{{Authority control Churches completed in 1837 Neoclassical architecture in Munich Tourist attractions in Munich Roman Catholic churches in Munich Cultural heritage monuments in Munich Leo von Klenze buildings Munich Residenz Neoclassical church buildings in Germany

History

Footnotes

Further reading

External links