Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan
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+49 89 210 6960Description:
The Theatinerkirche is one of the most striking, both inside and out, in Munich. Electress Henriette Adelaide and her husband Elector Ferdinand Maria had it built on the occasion of the birth of their first male child, which gave them a successor. Elector Ferdinand first began construction of Nymphenburg palace to thank his wife and then started on the Theatinerkirche to thank god.The church was built in Italian high-baroque style after San Andrea del Valle in Rome and designed by the Italian architect Agostino Barelli. His successor, Enrico Zuccalli, added two towers, which originally were not planned and then finished the 71 meter (233 ft) high dome in 1690. The facade in rococo style was completed only in 1768 by François de Cuvilles. Its Mediterranean appearance and yellow coloring became a well known symbol for the city and had much influence on Southern German baroque architecture.
Much of the interior was destroyed in bombing, but the towers and facade are mostly original. This church also serves as one of the two main burial places for the Wittelsbach family, who ruled Bavaria from 1180 until 1918.
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