The Theatine Church of St. Cajetan and

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

(German: ''Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan und Adelheid'') is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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 ...

Southern Germany Southern Germany (, ) is a region of Germany that includes the areas in which Upper German dialects are spoken, which includes the stem duchies of Bavaria and Swabia in present-day Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and the southern portion of Hesse ...

. Built between 1663 and 1690, it was founded by Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, as a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long-awaited heir to the Bavarian crown in 1662, Prince Max Emanuel. Currently administered by the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

, it is also known as the Dominican

Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

of St. Cajetan. The church was built in Italian High

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

, inspired by

Sant'Andrea della Valle Sant'Andrea della Valle is a titular church and minor basilica in the rione of Sant'Eustachio of the city of Rome, Italy. The basilica is the seat of the general curia of the Theatines and is located on the Piazza Vidoni, at the intersection ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, and designed by Italian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Agostino Barelli. His successor, Enrico Zuccalli, added two towers ( height), which were not originally included in the plans, and completed the dome ( height) in 1690. The church has a lenghth of and width of . The

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 ...

style

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

by François de Cuvilliés was completed in 1768. The Mediterranean appearance and yellow coloring became a well known symbol for the city and had a lasting impact on

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

in Southern Germany.

Architecture

Following the birth of crown prince and (later) elector Max Emanuel on 11 July, 1662, Agostino Barelli (

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

) received the design contract. The northeast corner of the ''Kreuzviertel'', directly adjacent to the

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

and ''Schwabinger Tor'', which lies opposite the Residence, was chosen as the building site for the church and

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

. The

cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

was laid as early as 29 April, 1663. Barelli took as his model the Theatine mother church, ''Sant'Andrea della Valle'' in Rome. The chosen spatial type for the church was a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

on a Latin cross plan. During the construction work, disagreements arose between Agostino Barelli and his construction manager, Antonio Spinelli, who was himself a Theatine

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

and the confessor of Henriette Adelaide of Savoy. These disagreements led to Barelli's temporary dismissal. In the end, Barelli completed the shell of the building in 1674 and then left Munich. After that, Enrico Zuccalli took over the artistic direction. The focus of his work was the exterior design. Zuccalli determined the shape of the domed tambour and later also of the two towers. At the same time, Zuccalli also worked on the interior design from 1674. In the same year,

Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...

artists Giovanni Nicolò Perti and Giovanni Viscardi, along with Abraham Leuthner, began 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 ...

work. Andreas Faistenberger created the large black

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

(1686). The altarpieces were by Caspar de Crayer,

Carlo Cignani Carlo Cignani (; 15 May 1628 – 8 September 1719) was an Italian painter. His innovative style referred to as his 'new manner' introduced a reflective, intimate mood of painting and presaged the later pictures of Guido Reni and Guercino, as well ...

Georg Desmarées Georg Desmarées or Des Marées, (29 October 1697 – 3 October 1776) was a Swedish-born German portrait painter. Biography Desmarées was born in 1697 in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the son of immigrant parents Jean Desmarées and Sara Meijteris ...

, and Joachim von Sandrart. Balthasar Ableithner created large statues of the

Four Evangelists In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew the Apostle, Matthew, Mark the Evangelist, Mark, Luke the Evangelist, Luke, and John the Evangelist, John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four canonical Gospel accounts ...

(1675), but only two statues (

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

) have survived the destruction 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 ...

. The church was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

on 11 July, 1675, at which time it was still largely a shell. Discussions about the final design of the façade delayed completion. Enrico Zuccalli built the towers according to his own plans between 1684 and 1692; the interior design was completed in 1688. From 1692 until its completion, Giovanni Viscardi took over the construction management. Henriette Adelaide of Savoy died in 1676 and did not live to see the completion of the Theatinerkirche. The double-tower façade of the Theatinerkirche remained unfinished for a long time. It was only about 100 years after the consecration that François de Cuvilliés the Elder designed a façade in Rococo style in 1765, with only slight changes, which his son François de Cuvilliés the Younger completed. The monastery was built in Zuccalli's style, under whose direction the master builder Lorenzo Perti constructed the buildings. By 1768, the work was completed. When the ''Schwabinger Tor'' was demolished in 1817, the Theatinerkirche at

Odeonsplatz The Odeonsplatz is a large square in central Munich which was developed in the early 19th century by Leo von Klenze and is at the southern end of the Ludwigstraße, developed at the same time. The square is named for the former concert hall, ...

became a significant focal point with the construction of Ludwigstrasse. The façade of the Ludwigskirche with two towers was later built as a counterweight to the Theatinerkirche, which is diagonally opposite.

History

The Theatins gained a good reputation as

pastors A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicis ...

and

scholars A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a terminal ...

until the end of the 18th century, when increasing moral and financial decline became apparent. On 26 October, 1801, Elector Max IV Joseph, who later became King Max I Joseph, dissolved the monastery even before the

secularization In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

. During the secularization, the monastery and the church came into the possession of the state. They are therefore still the property of the Free State of Bavaria. The Theatinerkirche remained a collegiate and court church, while the convent building became the seat of the Elector's

Finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

and Spiritual Affairs departments (ministries), after the Department of Foreign Affairs had already moved into the still-existing Theatine monastery in 1799. During World War II, particularly in 1944/1945, the church and monastery (except for the west wing) were severely damaged. The altarpiece "The Elector and his Wife Endow the Theatine Church" (Antonio Zanchi, 1675) was destroyed. Reconstruction began in 1946 and was largely completed by 1955. Since 1954, The rebuilding of the former monastery grounds was completed in 1973. The resulting building complex now houses the State Department for Education and Culture and the State Department for Science and Art. From 2001 to 2019, a step-by-step interior and exterior renovation of the church took place.

Organs

There are three organs at Theatinerkirche: The main organ (1960/2009; 49 stops/68 ranks) behind the high altar in the choir, the antiphonal organ (1950; 17 stops/23 ranks) on the right gallery opposite the pulpit (playable from a two-manual console and the five-manual main console), and a four-stop chamber organ (2018).

Burials

A small side chapel contains the tombs of King Maximilian II (reg. 1848-1864) and his consort Queen Marie. The

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

contains the Prince's Tomb, where (among others) the following members of the Wittelsbach Bavarian Royal Family were buried: * Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy * Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria, (reg. 1651-1679) *

Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria Maximilian II (11 July 1662 – 26 February 1726), also known as Max Emanuel or Maximilian Emanuel, was a Wittelsbach ruler of Electorate of Bavaria, Bavaria and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He was also the last governor of the Spani ...

, (reg. 1679-1726) *

Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII (6 August 1697 – 20 January 1745) was elector of Bavaria from 26 February 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 to his death. He was also King of Bohemia (as Charles Albert) from 1741 to 1743. Charles was a member of th ...

, (reg. 1726-1745) *

Maximilian III, Elector of Bavaria Maximilian III Joseph (28 March 1727 – 30 December 1777), also known by his epithet "the much beloved" was a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire and Duke of Electorate of Bavaria, Bavaria from 1745 to 1777. He was the last of the Bavarian ...

, (reg. 1745-1777) *

Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria Charles Theodore (; 11 December 1724 – 16 February 1799) was a German nobleman of the Palatinate-Sulzbach, Sulzbach branch of the House of Wittelsbach. He became Count Palatine of Sulzbach at the age of six following the death of his father J ...

, (reg. 1777-1799) * King

Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria Maximilian I Joseph (; 27 May 1756 – 13 October 1825) was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1795 to 1799, prince-elector of Bavaria (as Maximilian IV Joseph) from 1799 to 1806, then King of Bavaria (as Maximilian I Joseph) from 1806 to 1825. He was ...

, (reg. 1799-1825) * King

Otto of Greece Otto (; ; 1 June 1815 – 26 July 1867) was King of Greece from the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed in October 1862. The second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ott ...

, (reg. 1832-1862) *

Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria Luitpold Karl Joseph Wilhelm Ludwig, Prince Regent of Bavaria (12 March 1821 – 12 December 1912), was the ''de facto'' ruler of Kingdom of Bavaria, Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, as regent for his nephews, Ludwig II of Bavaria, King Ludwig II and O ...

, (reg. 1886-1912) * Princess Alexandra of Bavaria * Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria *

Duchess Maria Anna Josepha of Bavaria Maria Anna Josepha of Bavaria (''Maria Anna Josepha Augusta''; 7 August 1734 – 7 May 1776) was a Duchess of Bavaria by birth and Margravine of Baden-Baden by marriage. She was nicknamed the ''savior of Bavaria''. She is also known as ''Maria ...

* Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria * Prince Heinrich of Bavaria

References

External links

Official Website of the Theatinerkirche

Monaco di Baviera.org

Complete list of burials
{{Authority control 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Germany Roman Catholic churches completed in 1690 Baroque architecture in Munich Roman Catholic churches in Munich Church buildings with domes Burial sites of German royal houses 1690 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Burial sites of the House of Wittelsbach Cultural heritage monuments in Munich Theatine churches