Church of Saint Salvator

St Salvator is a Gothic church in Munich’s city centre, standing beside the Frauenkirche. Built in 1493 as a cemetery chapel, it later served as a storehouse before Leo von Klenze restored it for the Greek community. The architect designed the new iconostasis and removed Baroque additions to return the exterior to its Gothic form. Since 1829 the building has belonged to Greek Orthodox Christians, who call it the Transfiguration of the Saviour. During the Nazi years the mathematician Constantin Carathéodory sat on the church council. The church is worth visiting for its clear Gothic lines and the work of von Klenze. His iconostasis is a notable example of 19th-century church furnishings. The building also carries the memory of Munich’s shifting religious life, from medieval burial ground to Orthodox centre. The contrast between its original purpose and later uses gives the site unusual layers of history. The presence of Carathéodory adds a further strand of intellectual heritage. Inside, the nave rises to a simple Gothic vault. The iconostasis stands at the eastern end, its gilded carvings and icons marking the Orthodox altar. Plain Gothic windows let in steady light that falls on the pews and the whitewashed walls. The exterior shows the restored Gothic façade, its buttresses and pointed arches standing against the Munich skyline. The surrounding streets lead quickly back to the Frauenkirche and the city’s main squares.