Asam Church

St Johann Nepomuk, known as the Asam Church, is a Baroque church in Munich built between 1733 and 1746 by sculptor Egid Quirin Asam and painter Cosmas Damian Asam. The brothers designed it as their private chapel, integrating it into the houses along Sendlingerstraße. The church occupies a narrow plot just 22 by 8 metres, yet its interior harmonises architecture, painting and sculpture in two storeys. The façade curves gently outward, blending with the surrounding buildings. The Asamhaus next door, a 16th-century house remodelled by Egid Quirin, shows elaborate rococo stucco work on its exterior. The church is remarkable for its vertical organisation and lighting effects. The lowest section, where visitors sit, is kept dark to symbolise worldly suffering. Above, a white and blue zone was reserved for the emperor, while the uppermost part, lit indirectly from behind, depicts God and eternity. The ceiling fresco ‘Life of Saint Nepomuk’ by Cosmas Damian Asam is a masterpiece. The high altar, framed by four spiral columns, echoes Bernini’s design in St Peter’s, reflecting the brothers’ studies in Rome. A relic of John of Nepomuk rests beneath the tabernacle, flanked by angels sculpted by Ignaz Günther. Inside, the crucifix hangs unusually low, and the altar faces west rather than east. The confession church has seven confessionals with allegorical scenes. The choir was heavily damaged in a 1944 air raid and restored between 1975 and 1983 to its original appearance. The Asamhaus’s rococo façade and stucco work remain visible today. The church’s integration into the street and its unconventional layout make it a unique example of southern German Late Baroque.