It's easy to miss the small church of St John of Nepomuk among the shops and cafés on Sendlinger Straße in the centre of Munich. Built as a private church by the Azam brothers, it is more impressive for its Baroque framing than its size.
While Munich's 4,300 square metre Frauenkirche could accommodate the population of an entire small town at the same time, the Asamkirche, as the locals call it, is comparable in size to an ordinary, spacious single-family home.
The small church of St John Nepomuk with an area of only 180 square metres, which fits seamlessly into the row of residential buildings between Marienplatz and Sendlinger Tor, is not like other churches of the Baroque era, when architects preferred to build spacious religious buildings rather than such chamber-like little ones. However, there is a simple explanation for all the inconsistencies of tradition.
The Church of St John Nepomuk was conceived in 1733 by the Azam brothers for their own use. I wonder who else could boast of looking at the magnificent high altar of their own church right from their bedroom window?
Where it all began
The authors of the opulent and pompous church on the Sendlinger Strasse were the outstanding Baroque artists, the brothers Aegis Quirin and Cosmas Damian Azam. Piety, diligence and self-confidence were the main qualities that enabled the brothers to achieve tremendous success and become recognised masters of the Italian-Bavarian Late Baroque of the early 18th century. Where did the Italian influence come from in German Munich?
The Azam brothers' success story is directly linked to the arrival in Bavaria of the Italian princess Henrietta Adelaide of Savoy. She had dreamed of marrying the brilliant French Sun King Louis XIV, but instead became the wife of the Bavarian Elector Ferdinand Maria in 1650. Both newlyweds were 14 years old.
The young bride did not arrive in Munich until 2 years after the wedding. It was only four years after the end of the Thirty Years' War. Bavaria was devastated, there was no money for royalties for musicians and artists. And at the same time, architects, painters and writers from all over Europe were travelling to France.
The princess suppressed her homesickness with lavish Italian-style festivities. It was she who summoned talented craftsmen from Italy to the court of the Elector. She doubted the gifts of local architects, poets and other creative people.
Among the architects who arrived in Munich were the famous Agostino Barelli, Enrico Zucalli and Antonio Viscardi. The Teatinerkirche and the Nymphenburg Palace are their creations. The Italian Baroque era began in Munich with these buildings. Anyone who dreamed of a career as an artist or architect in those days had to imitate the Italians.
Church construction
The brothers Cosmas Damian and Aegis Quirin Azam came from a creative clan - their grandfather was court painter to the Elector for many years, their father also painted, and their mother was a gold-painter. The Azam family had many important connections, thanks to which they received expensive commissions.
The Azams were involved in rebuilding monasteries for the Benedictines after the Thirty Years' War. Cosmas' older brother Damian studied architecture in Rome, where he admired Bernini's creations."
The idea of building their own church came to the brothers in 1729, when Aegis purchased several mansions right in the city centre. In the same year, 1729, the brothers made their own house out of one building, while the other was to be converted into a church. For the next few years they tried to get the authorities to agree to a new church in Munich. For some reason, those in power at the time did not like the idea of anyone having a private church in the city.
Permission to build a church dedicated to John Nepomuk - a fashionable saint of the time - was given to the brothers personally by Elector Karl Albrecht, who later became Emperor Karl VII. A relief of the Emperor adorns the capitol of the column to the right of the entrance. The cornerstone of the building was laid on 6 May 1733 in the presence of the six-year-old Elector Maximilian III.
A two-storey chapel with two altars placed one above the other, a view of the altar through a window from the neighbouring private house that belonged to the Azams, and last but not least, a place for their family members in the church crypt - all this went far beyond what ordinary people in Munich at that time could afford.
The church was opened to the public in 1746. This was the wish of the townspeople, and the brothers could not resist such a message. By this time, the church was not yet completed, but it was already quite suitable for services. The stucco of the temple was created by the architect Aegis Quirinus.
Cosmas Damianus did not live long enough to see the church completed. Aegid was able to enjoy the fruits of his labour for a short time - only 4 years after the opening of the church, and then also went into the next world. What they left behind was a church that is the jewel of Baroque Munich.
The Azamkirche survived the bombing during World War II almost unscathed. Only the main altar was seriously damaged. It was rebuilt during the restoration works of 1975-1983. Since then, the central altar, ceiling paintings, the altar of the Virgin Mary and the sculptural composition of the Trinity have been delighting the inhabitants and visitors of Munich with their splendour.
The brothers built the church of St John of Nepomuk on their own and for themselves, which allowed them to avoid the constraints usually imposed by the client. Therefore, the church has several peculiarities. For example, it is unfolded not to the east, but to the west, which is unusual for European religious buildings. Also, the crucifix opposite the pulpit is positioned lower than custom dictated.
The facade is in the Baroque style. A statue of St John Nepomuk in the company of angels was placed above the doors of the church. In the pediment one can see the image of the divine virtues.
Photo: ErwinMeier. Source: Wikipedia
Church interior
The small church is entered through an imposing wooden door decorated with 4 reliefs and 2 gilded star decorations. The Azam brothers had at their disposal a small interior space of 8X22 metres. And they managed to decorate it in such a way that any visitor is breathtaking at the sight of this late Baroque masterpiece.
The interior of the Azamkirche church is striking with an excessive amount of mouldings and other decorations concentrated in a small area. The choirs with their sculptural depiction of the Holy Trinity, partially illuminated through hidden windows, immediately attract attention. God the Father, crowned with a triple papal tiara, sits on a throne above the magnificent high altar. This area is especially beautiful in the morning when the composition is illuminated by the soft rays of the sun.
The attentive visitor to the Azamkirche will certainly notice that the entire interior is visually divided into 3 parts, each of which symbolises a certain concept characteristic of the Baroque era:
- the prayer space, where massive wooden pews are placed, belongs to the parishioners and reminds them of the earthly journey and the suffering that accompanies it;
- the middle part of the interior, which is decorated in white colours, was created for the emperor;
- the upper area of the temple is reserved for the Almighty.
The ceiling fresco by Cosmas Damian Azam, which depicts scenes from the life of St John Nepomuk, is meant to remind the faithful of the proximity of Heaven. It is brightly lit from the windows.
It is amazing that a church that was built for one family has 7 confessionals. They also remind us of the heavenly patron saint of the church, who was the confessor of the Queen of Bohemia. Above one of the confessionals you can see the statue of St Peter.
Patron Saint
Art historians still have not reached a definite conclusion as to why the Azam brothers dedicated their church to St John of Nepomuk. Nowadays there are several versions explaining the choice of the church's heavenly patron saint:
- this saint was considered to be the patron saint of the upper class of Bavaria;
- the laying of the foundation stone of the church fell on the name day of John of Nepomuk;
- this saint was considered to be the patron saint of the upper class of Bavaria;according to legend, the brothers were ferrying valuable sculptures to the monastery of Weltenburg and got caught in a big storm on the Danube, and John Nepomuk helped them to avoid the disaster;
- John of Nepomuk was canonised in 1729 and has since been considered the patron saint of bridges and other structures, protecting them from destruction by water.
Relic of John of Nepomuk
Before secularisation in the early 19th century, Munich was considered the "German Rome". To this day, the numerous churches in the Bavarian capital house important relics revered by thousands of believers. The first religious artefact to be brought to Munich in the 20s of the 14th century was the humerus of St Anthony of Padua. It can now be seen in the church of the Franciscan monastery of St Anne in the district of Leel.
There is a similar treasure in the Azamkirche. It is said that St John Nepomuk kept the secret of confession even under torture. That is why the relic of St John of Nepomuk is kept in the Church of Azamkirche in a silver ark made in the shape of a tongue. The casket with the relic is placed on the altar.
Tourist Tips
Every tourist who finds himself in Germany in general and Munich in particular, tries to find out in advance the opening hours of museums, churches, shops to plan his day. In 2022, before visiting a church consecrated in honour of St John of Nepomuk, one should remember the following:
- The Azamkirche is located at 32 Sendlinger Strasse;
- It is open from 13:00 to 19:00 on Fridays and from 9:00 to 19:00 on other days of the week;
- Holy Mass takes place on Sundays and public holidays at 10:00;
- The Azamkirche can be reached by underground on the U1, U2, U3 and U6 lines (Sendlinger Tor stop);.
- next to the Azamkirche is the baroque Azamhaus, the house of the Azam brothers dating back to the 18th century - it can only be viewed from the outside..
Christmas creche
For 525 years, Munich's churches have been observing a beautiful tradition before Catholic Christmas: inside the churches they set up creches - stylised crèches in which you can find sculptural representations of all the main culprits and participants of the main holiday of the year: Baby Jesus, Virgin Mary, Joseph, shepherds, as well as animals (sheep, rabbits, donkeys, oxen, etc.).
Mostly, the figures for the creches are made of plaster or wood and skilfully painted. Some creches were made 100 years ago and are still in use.
In the church of St John of Nepomuk, the creche appears before the first week of Advent. You should look for it at the left side altar.
