On the Trail of the Holy Roman Empire: Trinity Church, Munich

A few doors down from the Munich hotel in which I was recently staying is Trinity Church (Dreifaltigkeitskirche), a modest but magnificent monument of baroque art. It’s located on the Pacellistrasse – named after Pius XII.

The genesis of this church springs from the convoluted political conflicts within the Holy Roman Empire. Bavaria, like Austria, had remained Catholic after the Reformation. In the 17th Century the electors of Bavaria had fought for the Catholic cause against the enemies of the Empire. Yet, despite all that, from 1700 till 1813 the Bavarian rulers more often allied themselves with France against the Holy Roman (later Austrian) emperor. (One thinks of the similar relationship between the two Protestant states of Saxony and Prussia). The result of their rulers’ ambitions for the people of Bavaria was generally disastrous.

That was certainly true of the War of the Spanish Succession, in which the French and Bavarians were disastrously defeated in 1704 by the Imperial forces led by Prince Eugene of Savoy and the English under the Duke of Marlborough.1) It looked like Munich might be burned to the ground. A local holy woman and mystic, Maria Anna Lindmayr, had a vision in which the city would be saved if a vow were taken to build a church to the honor of the Trinity, The “estates” of Bavaria (citizens, nobility and clergy) made this vow and the city was saved. It’s an interesting example of the life of a Catholic “integralist” commonwealth, with the different components of society united around a common faith. This unity was the legacy of the Counter-Reformation.

In 1705-06, outside of Munich, the Bavarians rose up (unsucessfully) against the occupation forces in a legendary struggle that became a critical element of Bavarian consciousness. However, this also created a rift between Austria and Bavaria, the two major German Catholic states, otherwise so similar in culture and language. It was one more element in the increasingly complex political life of the Holy Roman Empire.

The planning and construction, however, went on for years. The architect was Giovanni Antonio Viscardi of Graubunden, Switzerland, who worked mainly in Bavaria. His work is based on the architecture of the baroque churches of Rome. The other artists involved in the construction and decoration were locals. Ironically, most of the work on this building took place under, and with the support of, the Austrian occupation regime led by a deputy of the Holy Roman Emperor. For the elector of Bavaria, Maximilian II Emanuel, had been expelled from his domains after his defeat in 1704 and would be unable to return to Munich until after the war was over in 1714. Trinity church was finally consecrated in 1718.

Early on, a Carmelite monastery was attached to this votive church. Maria Anna Lindmayr eventually became a member of this convent. She died in 1726, widely revered as a saint – yet, after initial efforts, her cause was not pursued further.

Like many baroque churches, the Dreifaltigkeitskirche conveys the impression of a circular centralized space. The focal point of the decoration is the ceiling fresco by Cosmas Damian Asam – one of his earliest works and a foretaste of later masterpieces. It is a vast composition swirling around the image of the Trinity. It’s derived, of course, from the decoration of the ceilings and domes of various Roman churches of the previous century.

Thus Trinity church perfectly illustrates the creative interaction in the 18th century of Roman Baroque models in architecture and painting with native artists and traditions. It helped launch the most glorious period of art in Bavaria and adjacent regions of Germany. And such creative encounters are characteristic of the Holy Roman Empire, of which this church is a remarkable surviving witness. For Trinity was a votive church, inspired by the visions of a mystic and vowed by the estates which together constituted the people of Bavaria in that age. This vow sucessfully warded off the destruction of the city by the forces of the emperor – yet this same emperor enabled the construction of the church. Thus Trinity church testifies to the shared South German Catholic piety of Austrians and Bavarians – yet these peoples inherited from the era in which this church was built a certain resentment and animosity.

So much history of the days of the old Empire can be found just a short stroll from the contrasting world of a modern luxury hotel. And this hotel in the heart of Munich includes – another historical relic but one of a much later age – a Trader Vic’s restaurant! It’s a literal demonstration of Byung-Chul Han’s thesis that in the hyperculture of postmodernity we are all “tourists in Hawaiian shirts,” mixing, yet alienated from, all cultures (including our own). 2)

See generally Bieri, Pius, “Dreifaltigkeitskirche und ehemaliges Karmelitinnenkloster München” in sueddeutscher-Barock.ch.; “Dreifaltigkeitskirche München”  (de.wikipedia.org, acccesssed 4/29/2023)

1. The final decisive battle of 1704 is known in English as Blenheim. Thus Southey’s famous poem of 1796 After Blenheim.
2. Han, Byung-Chul, Hyperculture: Culture and Globalization (translator: Daniel Steuer) at 1 (referencing Nigel Barley) (Polity Press, Cambridge UK and Medford MA USA 2022; original German publication 2005)