The Frauenkirche (Full name: , ) is a church in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, Germany, that serves as the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop. It is a landmark and is considered a symbol of the Bavarian capital city. Although called "Münchner Dom" (Munich Cathedral) on its website and

URL A uniform resource locator (URL), colloquially known as an address on the Web, is a reference to a resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it. A URL is a specific type of Uniform Resource Identi ...

, the church is referred to as "Frauenkirche" by locals. It is the biggest

hall church A hall church is a Church (building), church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height. In England, Flanders and the Netherlands, it is covered by parallel roofs, typically, one for each vessel, whereas in Germany there is often one s ...

in the world. Because of local height limits, the church towers are widely visible. As a result of the narrow outcome of a local plebiscite, city administration prohibits buildings with a height exceeding 99 m in the city center. Since November 2004, this prohibition has been provisionally extended outward, and consequently, no buildings may be built in the city over the aforementioned height. The south tower, which is open to those wishing to climb the stairs or use the elevator, offers a unique view of Munich and the nearby

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

since the completion of its renovation in 2022.

History

A late Romanesque church was added next to the town's first ring of walls in the 12th century. This new church served as a second city parish following the older, Alter Peter church. The late Gothic cathedral visible today, which replaced the Romanesque church, was commissioned by Duke Sigismund and the people of Munich, and built in the 15th century. The cathedral was erected in only 20 years' time by Jörg von Halsbach. Because there was not a nearby stone quarry and for other financial reasons, brick was chosen as building material. Construction began in 1468, and when the cash resources were exhausted in 1479,

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

granted an

indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission bef ...

. The two towers, which are both just over 98 meters (323 feet) tall, were completed in 1488, and the church was consecrated in 1494. There were plans for tall, open-work spires typical of the Gothic style, but given the financial difficulties of the time, the plans could not be realized. The towers remained unfinished until 1525. German historian

Hartmann Schedel Hartmann Schedel (13 February 1440 – 28 November 1514) was a German historian, physician, humanist, and one of the first cartographers to use the printing press. He was born and died in Nuremberg. Matheolus Perusinus served as his tutor. ...

printed a view of Munich including the unfinished towers in his famous ''

Nuremberg Chronicle The ''Nuremberg Chronicle'' is an illustrated encyclopedia consisting of world historical accounts, as well as accounts told through biblical paraphrase. Subjects include human history in relation to the Bible, illustrated mythological creatures, ...

'', also known as Schedel's World Chronicle. Finally, because rainwater was regularly penetrating the temporary roofing in the tower's ceilings, the towers were completed in 1525, albeit using a more budget-friendly design. This new design may have been modelled after the

Dome of the Rock The Dome of the Rock () is an Islamic shrine at the center of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on the Temple Mount in the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City of Jerusalem. It is the world's oldest surviving work of Islamic architecture, the List_of_the_ol ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, which itself was modelled from late

Byzantine architecture Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire, usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great established a new Roman capital in Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the Fall of Cons ...

and erroneously considered to be Solomon's original temple. The resulting domes atop each tower contributed to making the church a distinctive Munich landmark. The building has a volume of about 200,000 m³, and originally had the capacity to house 20,000 standing people. Later, pews for ordinary people were introduced. Considering late fifteenth-century Munich had only 13,000 inhabitants and an already established parish church in Alter Peter, it is quite remarkable that a second church of this magnitude was erected in the city. In 1919,

Eugen Leviné Eugen Leviné (; 10 May 1883 – 5 June 1919), also known as Dr. Eugen Leviné, was a German Communism, communist revolutionary and one of the leaders of the short-lived Second Bavarian Soviet Republic. Background Eugen Leviné was born on 10 ...

, leader of a short-lived Bavarian Socialist Republic, had the Frauenkirche declared a "revolutionary temple." The cathedral suffered severe damage during the later stages of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After Allied forces' air raids, the church roof collapsed, one of the towers suffered severe damage, and the majority of the church's irreplaceable historical artifacts held inside were lost—either destroyed by bomb raids themselves, or removed with the debris in the aftermath. A multi-stage restoration effort began soon after the war. The final stage of restoration was completed in 1994.

Architecture

The Frauenkirche was constructed from red brick in the late Gothic style within only 20 years. The building is designed very plainly, without rich Gothic ornamentation and with its buttresses moved into and hidden in the interior. This, together with the two towers' special design ( battered upwards, etc.), makes the construction, mighty anyway, look even more enormous and gives it a near-modern appearance according to the principle of "less is more". The Late Gothic brick building with chapels surrounding the

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

is long, wide, and high. Contrary to a widespread legend that says the two towers with their characteristic domes are exactly one meter different in height, they are almost equal: the north tower is while the south tower is only , less. The original design called for pointed spires to top the towers, much like

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...

, but those were never built because of lack of money. Instead, the two domes were constructed during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and do not match the architectural style of the building; however they have become a distinctive landmark of Munich. With an enclosed space of about 200,000 m³, with 150,000 m³ up to the height of the vault, it is the second among the largest hall churches in general and the second among the largest

brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

churches north of the Alps (after St. Mary's Church in Gdańsk). In accordance with a law passed in 2004, no buildings within Munich city limits may be built taller than the Frauenkirche towers.

Interior

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

is held regularly in the cathedral, which still serves as a parish church. It is among the largest

es in southern Germany. The hall is divided into 3 sectors (the main nave and two side aisles of equal height () by a double row of 22 pillars (11 at either side, ) that help enclose the space. These are voluminous, but appear quite slim because of their impressive height and the building's height-to-width ratio. The arches were designed by Heinrich von Straubing. Peter Candid - Assumption of Mary

From the main portal the view seems to be only the rows of columns with no windows and translucent "walls" between the vaults through which the light seems to shine. The spatial effect of the church is connected with a legend about a footprint in a square tile at the entrance to the nave, the so-called "devil's footstep". A rich collection of 14th to 18th century artwork of notable artists like Peter Candid,

Erasmus Grasser Erasmus Grasser (c. 1450 – c. 1515) was a leading master builder and sculptor in Munich in the early 16th century. Biography He developed in an animated and realistic style, furthering on the works of Nikolaus Gerhaert. Grasser worked mainly ...

Jan Polack Jan Polack (, also spelled Hanns Polagk, Polegk; born 1435/1450 – 1519) was a 15th-century painter. From his nickname it is assumed that he might have been born and/or worked in Kraków, Poland. From the mid-1470s on, he lived and worked in M ...

Hans Leinberger Hans Leinberger, sometimes given as Lemberger (c.1475/1480 – after 1531) was a Late Gothic sculptor from Altbayern, who worked in wood, metal and stone. Life and work His exact birthplace is unknown, as is the place and manner of his arti ...

, Hans Krumpper and Ignaz Günther decorates the interior of the cathedral again since the last restoration. The Gothic nave, several of the Gothic stained-glass windows, some of them made for the previous church, and the tomb monument of

Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347. 20 October 1314 imperial election, Louis' election a ...

are major attractions. For the daily choral prayers Erasmus Grasser created in 1495–1502 the choir stalls with busts of apostles and prophets and small statues which survived the alterations of the Baroque period and the Gothic Revival, but burned in World War II, only the figures had been relocated and preserved. Therefore, the Frauenkirche still has the largest surviving ensemble of characters from the Late Gothic in Germany. The optical end of the sanctuary is formed by a column on which stands the St. Mary statue by Roman Anton Boos, which he executed in 1780 for the

sounding board A sounding board, also known as a tester and abat-voix is a structure placed above and sometimes also behind a pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platf ...

of the former pulpit. The former high altar painting completed by Peter Candid in 1620 has been moved to the north wall entrance of the sacristy and depicts the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

into heaven.

''Teufelstritt'', or Devil's Footstep and perpetual wind

Much of the interior was destroyed during World War II. An attraction that survived is the ''Teufelstritt'', or Devil's Footstep, at the entrance. This is a black mark resembling a footprint, which according to legend was where the

devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

stood when he curiously regarded and ridiculed the 'windowless' church that Halsbach had built. (In baroque times the high altar obscured the one window at the very end of the church, that visitors can see now when standing in the entrance hall.) In another version of the legend, the devil made a deal with the builder to finance construction of the church on the condition that it contain no windows. The clever builder, however, tricked the devil by positioning columns so that the windows were not visible from the spot where the devil stood in the foyer. When the devil discovered that he had been tricked, he could not enter the already consecrated church. The devil could only stand in the foyer and stomp his foot furiously, which left the dark footprint that remains visible in the church's entrance today. Legend also says the devil then rushed outside and manifested his evil spirit in the wind that furiously rages around the church. Another version of that part of the legend has it that the devil came riding on the wind to see the church under construction. Having completely lost his temper, he stormed away, forgetting the wind, which will continue to blow around the church until the day the devil comes back to reclaim it.

Burials

The crypt contains the tombs of the Archbishops of Munich and Freising and among others of these members of the

Wittelsbach dynasty The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

, (reg. 1294–1347) * Duke Louis V, (reg. 1347–1361) * Duke Stephen II, (reg. 1347–1375) * Duke John II, (reg. 1375–1397) * Duke Ernest, (reg. 1397–1438) * Duke William III, (reg. 1397–1435) * Duke Adolf, (reg. 1435–1441) * Duke Sigismund, (reg. 1460–1467) * Duke Albert IV, (reg. 1467–1508) * Duke William IV, (reg. 1508–1550) * Duke Albert V, (reg. 1550–1579) * King Ludwig III, (reg. 1912–1918)

Organs

The current organs were built in 1993–1994 by Georg Jann. The Great Organ (1994) on the west gallery has 95 stops (140 ranks, 7,165 pipes), which can be played from two four-manual general consoles (a tracker console behind the Rückpositiv division, and a second movable electric console on the lower choir gallery). The Choir Organ (1993) is located on a gallery in the right nave, near the altar stairs. It has 36 stops (53 ranks) and can be played from a three-manual tracker console, as well as from the two main consoles on the west gallery. Both organs together contain 131 stops (193 ranks, 9,833 pipes) and are the largest organ ensemble in Munich.

Organists

* Abraham Wißreiter, from 1576 to 1618 * Hans Lebenhauser, from 1618 to 1634 * Anton Reidax, from 1634 to 1676 * Johann Kherner, from 1676 to 1699 * Johann Prunner, from 1699 to 1713 * Max Weißenböck, from 1713 to 1728 * Joseph Mamertus Falter, from 1728 to 1784 * Franz Anton Stadler, from 1792 to 1846 * Cajetan Stadler, from 1846 to 1899 * Karl Ludwig Ziegler, from 1899 to 1901 * Joseph Schmid, from 1901 to 1944 * Heinrich Wismeyer, from 1945 to 1969 * Franz Lehrndorfer, from 1969 to 2002 * Willibald Guggenmos, from 2001 to 2004 (Assistant Organist) * Michael Hartmann, from 2002 to 2003 (Interim Organist) * Msgr. Hans Leitner, from 2003 to 2021 *

Martin Welzel Martin Welzel (born November 11, 1972, in Vechta) is a German organist, musicologist, and pedagogue. Biography Martin Welzel received his first musical training in Bremen, where Käte van Tricht (a former student of Karl Straube) was one of h ...

, from 2013 to 2022 (Assistant Organist 2013–2021; Associate Organist 2021–2022) * Ruben Sturm, since September 1, 2022

Bells

Both towers contain ten bells cast in the 14th, 15th, 17th and 21st centuries. Their combination is unique and incomparable in Europe. The heaviest bell called ''Susanna'' or ''Salveglocke'' is one of the biggest bells in Bavaria. It was cast in 1490 by Hans Ernst by order of Albrecht IV.

Other

In the church's north tower, since the mid-1980s, was a radio relay station of the German foreign intelligence service BND and another secret service. The relay station was removed in 2018.

References

External links

Official Website
*

*
Frauenkirche music

Munich Frauenkirche – video

Munich Frauenkirche Photo Spread

The Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (photos of the church interior)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frauenkirche Buildings and structures completed in 1494 Churches completed in the 1490s 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Germany Gothic architecture in Munich

Tourist attractions in Munich Roman Catholic churches in Munich

Munich Frauenkirche The Frauenkirche (Full name: , ) is a church in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop. It is a landmark and is ...

Munich Cathedral Burial sites of the House of Wittelsbach Cultural heritage monuments in Munich Legendary footprints