St. Michael In Berg Am Laim, Munich
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

St Michael in Berg am Laim 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 ...
, built from 1738 to 1751 by
Johann Michael Fischer Johann Michael Fischer (18 February 1692 – 6 May 1766) was a German architect in the late Baroque period. Fischer was born in Burglengenfeld, Upper Palatinate. He is a major representative of south German Baroque architects. He studied in ...
as Court Church for Elector and Archbishop Clemens August of
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, a brother of Emperor
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
. Clemens August owned
Berg am Laim Berg am Laim (Central Bavarian: ''Berg am Loam'') is a southeastern borough of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Notable landmarks * Das Kartoffelmuseum * Erzbruderschaft St. Michael * Innsbrucker Ring * Innsbrucker-Ring-Tunnel * Kultfabrik * Leuchten ...
as a manor. It was also served by the Military Order of Saint Michael until 1837 and by the ''Archbrotherhood of
Saint Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...
''until today. The Catholic church is one of the chief works of the Bavarian
rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
period.


Architecture

The elegant façade with its twin towers provides a strong vertical accent was designed as the terminal feature of a street to the inner city which was never built. It is the only church of Fischer which was decorated in the rococo style with rich
rocaille Rocaille ( , ) was a French style of exuberant decoration, with an abundance of curves, counter-curves, undulations and elements modeled on nature, that appeared in furniture and interior decorative arts, decoration during the early reign of Lo ...
, maybe this was due to
François de Cuvilliés François de Cuvilliés, sometimes referred to as ''the Elder'' (23 October 1695, Soignies, Hainaut14 April 1768, Munich), was a Bavarian decorative designer and architect born in the Spanish Netherlands. He was instrumental in bringing the Roco ...
the Elder, who served as a building inspector for this church. Large round-headed arches divide the interior of the church in different sections. The central space is decorated by
pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
and columns and the corners are rounded off by several niches. The
stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
and frescoes were created by
Johann Baptist Zimmermann Johann Baptist Zimmermann (3 January 1680, Wessobrunn, Gaispoint — 2 March 1758, Munich) was a German Painting, painter and a prime Stucco, stucco plasterer during the Baroque. Zimmermann was born in Gaispoint, Wessobrunn. He and his brothe ...
in 1743, the altars were constructed by
Johann Baptist Straub Johann Baptist Straub (1 June 1704 (baptism) – 15 July 1784) was a German Rococo sculptor. Biography Straub was born in Wiesensteig, into a family of sculptors. His father Johann George Straub and his brothers Philipp Jakob, Joseph, an ...
. The gilded figures on either side of the tabernacle are a contribution of
Ignaz Günther Ignaz Günther (22 November 1725 – 27 June 1775) was a German sculptor and woodcarver working in the Bavarian Rococo tradition. He was born in Altmannstein, where he received his earliest training from his father, then studied in Munich und ...
. The painting of the high altar celebrating the archangel (by the Munich baroque painter Johann Andreas Wolff) and the statue of St. Roch (Andreas Faistenberger, 1690) were created already before the construction of the church. The altarpiece of the side altar St. Norbert was painted by Ignaz Joseph Schilling (1744/1746). During
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 ...
the church was heavily damaged on 30 April 1945 by artillery hit in the nave, but afterwards restored.


See also

*
Saint Michael in the Catholic Church Saint Michael the Archangel is referenced in the Old Testament and has been part of Christian teachings since the earliest times. In Catholic writings and traditions, he acts as the defender of the Church and the opponent of Satan. He also assis ...


References


External links


Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (images of the church interior)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michael in Berg am Laim, Munich Michael In Berg Am Laim Baroque architecture in Munich Baroque church buildings in Germany Churches completed in 1751 Registered historic buildings and monuments in Bavaria 1751 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Tourist attractions in Munich Cultural heritage monuments in Munich