- Allerheiligen-Hofkirche
The Allerheiligen-Hofkirche ("Court Church of
All Saints ") is a small church in theMunich Residence (the royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs), designed byLeo von Klenze and built between 1826 and 1837. It was seriously damaged by bombs inWorld War II and remained a ruin for decades, before being partially restored and turned to secular purposes.History
The "Allerheiligen-Hofkirche" was commissioned in 1825 by
Ludwig I of Bavaria , inspired by theCappella Palatina , the richly decorated Byzantine royal chapel inPalermo , where he had attended Christmas mass in 1823. [Biller and Rasp (2006), 244; according to the Bavarian palaces administration, [http://www.residenz-muenchen.de/deutsch/ahkirche/index.htm "Allerheiligen-Hofkirche"] , he exclaimed, "Solch eine Schlosskapelle will ich haben!", "That's the kind of court chapel I want" (for translation see external links).] The commission marked a reversal of the policy of secularisation, carried out under his father Maximilian I at the beginning of the century. [Biller and Rasp (2006), 14 and 22.] Leo von Klenze (1784-1864) produced various designs between 1826 and 1828, using not only the Capella Palatina, but also St Mark's inVenice as inspiration. Even before a design had been agreed there had been a ceremonial laying of the foundation stone in 1826; and the church was completed and dedicated on October 29, 1837. [Biller and Rasp (2006), 244.]. [Biller and Rasp (2006), 245-6.]
On April 25, 1944, bombs destroyed all but the outer walls. The rich interior ornament was almost completely lost. Although other parts of the Residence were restored soon after the war, the ruined church was left to deteriorate for many years. In 1986 the decision was made to restore it. The restoration was completed in 2003, together with the recreation of an enclosed garden, the "Kabinettsgarten", on its north side. [Biller and Rasp (2006), 245; [http://www.schloesser.bayern.de/deutsch/presse/archiv03/mu_res/allheil3.htm "Allerheiligen-Hofkirche in der Münchner Residenz wieder eröffnet"] , press release of the "Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen" on the reopening of the restored church, June 3, 2003 (German).] No attempt was made to recreate the original ornament in the restored building, which instead in its simplicity shows the architectural qualities of Klenze's design. It is now used for concerts and events, within the limits of respecting its former character as a church. [ [http://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/rooms/objects/mu_r_all.htm "Court Church of All Saints"] , information on use from the "Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen"]
External links
* [http://www.residenz-muenchen.de/englisch/allsaint/index.htm Allerheiligen-Hofkirche (Court Church of All Saints)] , information from the "Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen" ("Bavarian Administration of State Palaces, Gardens and Lakes")
Literature
*J. H. Biller and H.-P. Rasp, "München, Kunst und Kultur", 134-5. Munich: Südwest, 2006. ISBN 978-3-517-06977-7
Footnotes
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