Klosterkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt, Former Cistercian monastery church in Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria, Germany

The Klosterkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt is a former Cistercian monastery church in Fürstenfeldbruck, built from 1700 by Giovanni Antonio Viscardi. Its exterior measures 87 meters long and 32 meters wide, with a 70-meter tower set north between choir and nave. The five-axis facade stacks Tuscan, Ionic and Corinthian columns, and the interior uses wall piers with four half-columns each, barrel vaults and high galleries.

The foundation stone was laid on 5 August 1700 under Elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria, to plans by court architect Giovanni Antonio Viscardi. Work stopped in 1701 and resumed in 1716 under Johann Georg Ettenhofer; the choir was finished in 1723, the nave consecrated in 1741, the tower completed in 1745 and the facade in 1747. The interior was finished only in 1766. After the monastery was dissolved in 1802/03, its elevation to a royal court church in 1816 saved it from demolition.

The ceiling paintings are late works by Cosmas Damian Asam, completed in the choir in 1723 and in the nave in 1731. From west to east they show the dream of Bernard's mother, the Christmas vision, the conversion of the Duke of Aquitaine and the clothing of the order's patron; the choir depicts the site's selection by angels and the monastery's founding, ending with the high altarpiece of the Assumption.

The church stands in the monastery quarter on the western edge of Fürstenfeldbruck. Since 1964 it has served as a side church of the St. Magdalena parish, used mainly for weddings and services, so check the parish's current schedule before travelling. The west facade with its three column orders and the slanted column bases is best seen in morning light.

The church is nicknamed the "Bavarian Escorial" because its long facade and monastery layout echo Philip II's palace-monastery near Madrid. Look for the copper statue of Salvator Mundi in the gable niche, flanked by Saints Bernard and Benedict on pedestals. A detail specific to Fürstenfeldbruck: the bases of the facade columns are set at a slant.