Asam Church, Baroque church in Münchner Altstadt, Germany.
The Asamkirche, also known as Sankt Johann Nepomuk, is a small Baroque church in Munich's old town with a richly decorated interior that unfolds in a compact space. The room is filled with gilded ornaments, colorful ceiling paintings, and marble cladding that together create an intense visual experience.
Egid Quirin and Cosmas Damian Asam built the church from 1733 to 1746 as a private chapel next to Egid's house, without a commission. The foundation stone was laid in 1733 by Elector Maximilian Joseph; the unfinished church was consecrated in 1746. Public pressure forced the brothers to open it to the public. In 1944 the choir was badly damaged; interior restoration from 1975 to 1983 recreated a hypothetical original appearance.
The church is dedicated to Saint John of Nepomuk, whose gilded figure group stands over the entrance door. Egid Quirin Asam designed it as a Beichtkirche, a confession church for the young, and it holds seven confessionals with allegorical scenes. The high altar's four spiral columns refer to Bernini's columns over Saint Peter's grave in Rome, where the brothers had studied.
The church is located on Sendlinger Strasse in the old town and is easily reached on foot, though it sits on a busy shopping street. Visitors should note that the interior space is very small and can feel crowded during peak times, so a visit in early morning or late afternoon is worthwhile.
The facade appears to grow out of a rock plinth, and the capitals of the pilasters carry figures of emperor and pope. Egid Quirin Asam could look from a window of his neighbouring house straight at the high altar, and the church is oriented west, not east, so the altar stands in the west.
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