Basilika, Church building in Würzburg, Germany.
St. Michael is a west-facing gallery basilica with a four-bay nave, shallow transept arms and an apsidal choir, built from 1765 to 1798 by Johann Philipp Geigel and Johann Michael Fischer. Its east portal side is a show facade modelled on Roman Baroque, and a choir tower with the bells rises above the crossing, which is covered inside by a flat dome and topped outside by a roof turret.
A chapel dedicated to Saint Agnes stood here in the early 13th century; after the Poor Clares arrived in 1220, the monastery was rebuilt around 1257. The Jesuits used the complex from 1561 and built their first church in 1606–1610. The present church was built from 1765 to 1798 by Johann Philipp Geigel and Johann Michael Fischer; after a bombing on 16 March 1945 it burned out and was reconsecrated in 1955.
The basilica serves as a place of worship for Würzburg's Catholic community, where regular services and devotional gatherings take place throughout the year. Visitors can observe how the ornate interior space shapes moments of spiritual reflection for worshippers.
The church is located at Josef-Stangl-Platz 1 and welcomes visitors during daylight hours most days of the week. Keep in mind that active services take place here, so certain areas may be closed during religious events or ceremonies.
The figural interior, made from 1988 to 1991 by Heinrich Gerhard Bücker in alabaster stucco, follows the visions of the Book of Revelation. A six-metre Christ figure stands at the centre, the Hebrew tetragram in a triangle crowns the flat dome, and three oval ceiling medallions measure 4.2 by 5.2 metres. The single surviving bell, cast in the 16th century, rang alone for decades until three bells named Kilian, Kolonat and Totnan were added in 2013.
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