FRAUENKIRCHE

Description

Essentials about the Frauenkirche in brief

The Gothic cathedral and city parish church “Zu Unserer Lieben Frau” (usually just called “Frauenkirche”) from the 15th century is the landmark of Munich and as one of the main sights of the city definitely worth a visit. The three-nave late Gothic brick church is the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Munich and Freising. Since the towers of the Frauenkirche measure just under 100 meters and the Munich city council has prohibited buildings over 100 meters high in the city center, the Frauenkirche is visible from all directions from afar. From the south tower you can enjoy a magnificent view of Munich, which on clear days reaches as far as the Alps.

The history of the Frauenkirche

The predecessor church of the Frauenkirche

As early as the 13th century, there was a Marian chapel on the site of today’s Frauenkirche, built by the Bavarian ruling house of the Wittelsbach dynasty. The church was expanded over the decades and provided with a rich interior decoration, which was later transferred to the new Frauenkirche. The predecessor church also served as a burial place for the Munich line of the Wittelsbach dynasty.

The legends of the new Frauenkirche building

There are several legends surrounding the construction of the Frauenkirche. Duke Sigismund, for example, is said to have looked at Munich during a hunt and thought that the city needed a church that could tell it from afar. Another story tells of a girl who collapsed and died during a mass in the old church because she could not be removed from the crowded church. Thereupon the duke swore to build a new and more spacious church so that such an incident could never happen again. In fact, however, the population growth and the increased self-confidence of the citizens of Munich, as well as their desire for representation, probably tipped the scales in favor of the new building.

The new building of the Frauenkirche in the 15th and 16th century

This was executed by Jörg von Halsbach, who also built the Old Town Hall Munich at the same time. Von Halsbach opted for a plain brick building for cost and material reasons, as there was no nearby quarry. In 1468, the foundation stone for the new Frauenkirche was laid. Construction progressed comparatively quickly. The towers, except for the spires, were completed as early as 1488. So it took only 20 years to complete, a very short construction time compared to other large churches. Shortly after completion, Jörg von Halsbach died and was buried in the church. In 1494 the new church was finally consecrated. The towers were not completed until around 1525, when their characteristic hoods were put on.

The Baroqueization of the Frauenkirche in the 17th and 18th Centuries

From the 17th to the 19th century, the Frauenkirche underwent several architectural changes. In the 17th century there was a baroqueization of the interior. During this period, a triumphal arch at the entrance to the choir, a monumental high altar and a cenotaph for Ludwig the Bavarian were erected. In the 17th and 18th centuries, all altars were gradually furnished with new paintings and rentables, and the choir stalls and pulpit were redesigned.

The Regotisation of the Frauenkirche in the 19th Century

In the mid-19th century, the interior of the Frauenkirche was consistently regothicized. Since Gothic was considered the most “ecclesiastical” of all styles at the time, a large part of the existing Renaissance and Baroque furnishings fell victim to neo-Gothic purification from 1858 to 1868. From the point of view of art history and monument preservation, this regotization measure was a historicist clear-cut. Especially the high and side altars as well as the pulpit are to be described as major art-historical losses. The vault of the Frauenkirche was colorfully painted as a starry sky in the course of the neo-Gothicization.

The destruction and reconstruction of the Frauenkirche in the 20th century

During the World War II, the Frauenkirche was severely damaged several times by air raids and the hall vault partially collapsed. Large parts of the furnishings were also destroyed, as the neo-Gothic furnishings were not salvaged from the church during the war due to their lack of historical significance. Reconstruction after the war initially took place in a sober and unadorned form. In the 1970s and 1980s, the interior was redesigned. Of the original furnishings, only the stained glass of the choir windows and individual paintings and sculptures have been preserved, supplemented by other pieces. Thus, the interior of the church today is again somewhat more richly furnished than in the first decades after the war.

The architecture of the Frauenkirche

The facade and towers of the Frauenkirche

The Frauenkirche is a three-naved brick building with a chapel ring running around it. The church is self-contained and kept simple on the outside – architect von Halsbach moved the buttressing, which is common in most Gothic churches, to the interior. The Frauenkirche is 109 meters long, 40 meters wide and the masonry of the nave is about 37 meters high. Contrary to a widespread legend that the two towers differ in height by exactly one meter, they are almost the same height: the north tower measures 98.57 meters, the south tower 98.45 meters. The towers appear very powerful and draw the eye, as they clearly tower above the relatively low ridge of the nave.

The exterior of the building has very little ornamentation compared to churches of the Gothic period built in rubble stone. Even in comparison with the brick Gothic of the Baltic region, the wall design and overall structure are simple and clear. But it is precisely this dignified simplicity that makes the building appear more imposing and powerful than could be achieved by lavish ornamentation.

The interior of the Frauenkirche

The high windows of the long sides and the choir ambulatory and the slenderness of the pillars give a light atmosphere to the church hall, as does the light wall paint. Upon entering the narthex, one sees the eleven pairs of piers as a white wall. These octagonal, unadorned piers divide the space into three naves. The floor is covered by a diamond pattern consisting of a green-bluish and a reddish stone. The ceiling is a star vault in the most beautiful late Gothic manner.

The Devil’s Step

In the entrance hall of the church there is a very special footprint, the so-called “Devil’s Step”. According to legend, the devil himself stood here because he had bet with master builder Jörg von Halspach for the latter’s soul. Von Halspach cheekily claimed that one could not see any windows in the church. The curious devil wanted to see for himself. So he stood at that prominent place from which (at that time) indeed no windows could be seen, because they were covered by the columns. With joy at the apparent stupidity of the people, he stamped and left his footprint in the floor of the church. However, when the Prince of Darkness dared to take another step, he discovered the many windows of the church. Enraged, he turned into wind and wanted to destroy the church building. He is probably still trying, because anyone who comes near the Frauenkirche or enters it always feels a slight breeze.

The Cenotaph of Emperor Ludwig and the Crypt

Anyone interested in the tombs of Bavarian rulers should have seen the cenotaph of Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian and the crypt. The cenotaph, made of polished black limestone, was erected in 1622 by the famous sculptor Hans Krumpper for Ludwig, who died in 1347. However, Ludwig’s bones are not in this mock tomb, but in the crypt. A large number of other Bavarian kings, dukes and princesses are buried there.

The view from the Frauenkirche

If you want to enjoy a breathtaking view of Munich, you should climb the south tower of the Frauenkirche. The north tower of the church, on the other hand, is not open to the public. From the south tower, from a height of almost 100 meters, you can enjoy a unique panoramic view of the Bavarian capital and its numerous sights, such as Marienplatz with the New Town Hall and St. Peter’s Church, the Theatine Church on Odeonsplatz, the Olympiaturm and the Theresienwiese. On a clear day, you can even see the Alps from the highest point of Munich’s old town.