Theatine Church, Munich — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Theatinerkirche (Theatine Church) is one of the most impressive Baroque churches in Germany, standing on Odeonsplatz at the edge of Munich's Old Town with its twin towers and bright yellow facade.

The church was founded in 1663 by Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, as a thanksgiving for the birth of their long-awaited heir, Max Emanuel. They wanted a church modelled on the grand churches of Rome, and they got one. The design was initially by Agostino Barelli, inspired by Sant'Andrea della Valle in Rome, making it the first Baroque church north of the Alps.

Construction was dramatic. Barelli and the local builders clashed constantly, and the Italian architect was eventually replaced by Enrico Zuccalli, who completed the two towers (each 64.6 metres tall) and the dome (71 metres). The Rococo facade was designed much later, in 1765, by Francois de Cuvillies the Elder, and finished by his son.

The interior is brilliant white stucco with no painted ceiling, unusual for a Baroque church. The crypt beneath the church, the Furstengruft, contains the tombs of members of the Wittelsbach dynasty, the ruling family of Bavaria for over 700 years.

The church was severely damaged during World War II and underwent reconstruction from 1946, largely completed by 1955.

Entry is free. If you're on a Questo quest through Munich, the Theatine Church is where Italian ambition met Bavarian devotion, and the result is one of the finest church interiors in southern Germany.