St. Michael in Munich

Highlights of the church

The facade alone is a statement. St. Michael was the first church in Munich to be given a grand display front facing the street – something new in the narrow lanes of the medieval city. At the very top the gilded cross catches the light, Christ stands in the gable, and between the two doorways the Archangel Michael battles evil. In between, three tiers hold 15 statues of Bavarian rulers who anchored the Catholic faith in the region. Duke Wilhelm V, who commissioned the church, had a personal connection to its patron saint: he was born on Michaelmas.

Inside, the space feels bright and expansive: 260 feet long, 92 feet high, free of columns, finished in white stucco. The barrel vault spans 65 feet – for a long time it was considered the largest self-supporting vault of its kind after St. Peter's in Rome. Your eye goes straight to the high altar, whose imagery picks up the theme of the facade: Michael fights in the altarpiece, while Christ appears at the top as the one who will return. In front of the choir hangs the Giambologna crucifix, with Mary Magdalene kneeling beneath it. Don't miss the Cosmas and Damian shrine holding the relics of the two patron saints of physicians, or the pulpit from which Father Rupert Mayer preached against National Socialism in the 1920s and 1930s.

👉 The facade of the Jesuit Church of St. Michael on Munich's Neuhauser Straße carries 15 statues of Bavarian rulers and was the city's first grand church display front; inside, a column-free barrel vault spans 65 feet.

King Ludwig II and the Wittelsbach Crypt

On June 19, 1886, King Ludwig II was laid to rest in St. Michael – just days after his still unexplained death in Lake Starnberg. His zinc coffin stands in the main chamber of the crypt and is almost always covered with fresh flowers left there by visitors. His heart, however, is not with him: following Wittelsbach tradition, it was placed in a silver urn in the Chapel of Grace in Altötting.

Around 30 members of the House of Wittelsbach rest here in metal sarcophagi, among them Wilhelm V, who commissioned the church, Elector Maximilian I – leader of the Catholic League during the Thirty Years' War – and Ludwig's brother, King Otto. Eugène de Beauharnais, Napoleon's stepson and Duke of Leuchtenberg, is buried here as well, alongside his wife Auguste Amalie. The crypt is looked after by the Wittelsbach Compensation Fund; the entrance sits inconspicuously at the front right of the church, a few steps down.

👉 King Ludwig II of Bavaria rests in the Wittelsbach Crypt of the Jesuit Church of St. Michael on Neuhauser Straße; admission costs 3 euros, and the crypt is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Services, music and the Way of the Cross of the Nations

St. Michael is not a museum church but an active one, and that shapes any visit. 

• Sundays begin at 7:30 a.m. with early Mass, followed at 9 a.m. by High Mass with choir and orchestra, at 11 a.m. by the family service, at 12:30 p.m. by a Mass in Croatian, and then evening Mass at 6 p.m. and late Mass at 9 p.m. 

• On weekdays, early Mass is held at 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Cross, and from 12:30 to 12:45 p.m. the "Atem.Pause" offers a short break for anyone passing by.

One date stands out: the Way of the Cross of the Nations (Kreuzweg der Völker) on Good Friday. It begins at 10 a.m. in St. Michael, and the procession then moves through the pedestrian zone with 14 stations to Marienplatz, where a service closes the walk. Since 1998 it has been organized by Munich's foreign-language Catholic communities – worshippers from more than 20 language groups pray it together. 

Musically, it's also worth checking the program of the Michaelsmusik: the Michaelschor, the chamber choir and the Gregorian schola shape the major liturgies, and in fall the Münchner Orgelherbst organ festival takes place here.

👉 On Good Friday the Way of the Cross of the Nations starts at 10 a.m. at the Jesuit Church of St. Michael and leads through Munich's pedestrian zone to Marienplatz across 14 stations; it is carried by the city's foreign-language congregations.

A brief history

Duke Albrecht V brought the Jesuits to Munich in 1556, and his son Wilhelm V had a college and church built for them starting in 1583 – a visible sign of the Counter-Reformation. The model was Il Gesù in Rome, the order's mother church, whose dimensions St. Michael ultimately exceeded. In 1590 the tower, already completed, collapsed; Wilhelm took this not as a warning but as a reason to build bigger. The church was consecrated in 1597.

In World War II, air raids destroyed large parts of the building, and in November 1944 the barrel vault collapsed; reconstruction continued into the postwar years. The facade was most recently restored between 2009 and 2013. The Jesuits themselves were long gone by then: in 1773 the Pope suppressed the order worldwide, church and college reverted to the founding family, and St. Michael became a court and garrison church. 

The order was reestablished in 1814, but in the German Empire it remained banned by law from 1872 – only after that ban was lifted and the monarchy had ended did Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber bring the Jesuits back, handing the church over to them on December 4, 1921. The building itself is still owned by the Free State of Bavaria.

👉 Munich's Jesuit Church of St. Michael was built between 1583 and 1597 on the model of Il Gesù in Rome; after the Jesuit order was suppressed in 1773 it served as a court and garrison church for nearly 150 years, until the Jesuits returned in 1921.

Getting there and practical info

• 🚶 On foot: The church sits in the pedestrian zone, halfway between Karlsplatz and Marienplatz
• 🚆 Public transit: S-Bahn and U3/U6 to Marienplatz; S-Bahn, U4/U5 and several tram lines to Karlsplatz (Stachus)
• 🗣️ Guided tours: The Münchner Bildungswerk offers church tours by appointment; the parish also provides a virtual tour and a mobile guide
• 🕯️ All Saints' Day: The crypt is usually open free of charge on this day
• 📅 Before you go: Service times change on feast days – the parish calendar is the reliable source

Frequently asked questions about St. Michael

Where is King Ludwig II buried?

In the Wittelsbach Crypt of St. Michael on Neuhauser Straße. His heart was buried separately and rests in the Chapel of Grace in Altötting.

How much does it cost to visit St. Michael?

The church is free to enter. The Wittelsbach Crypt costs 3 euros, reduced 2 euros, and 1 euro for teens aged 11 to 17; children up to the age of 10 get in free.

When is the Wittelsbach Crypt open?

Monday through Saturday at set times; it is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Current hours are published by the Wittelsbach Compensation Fund.

Is there a combination ticket with the Theatinerkirche?

Yes. For 5 euros you can visit the crypt at St. Michael and the Wittelsbach tombs in the crypt of the Theatinerkirche at Odeonsplatz.

Is St. Michael accessible?

The church has a step-free entrance with a ramp. The crypt on the lower level can only be reached by stairs.

How long does a visit take?

Thirty to 45 minutes is enough for the church and the crypt. If you want a closer look at the facade, high altar and side chapels, plan on an hour.

When are services held?

Sundays at 7:30, 9 and 11 a.m., 12:30, 6 and 9 p.m.; on weekdays at 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., plus the Saturday vigil Mass at 6 p.m. The church cannot be viewed during services.

Why is St. Michael called the Jesuit Church?

Duke Wilhelm V had it built as the church of the Jesuit college and handed it to the order. After the order was suppressed in 1773 it served as a court and garrison church; since 1921 Jesuits have been in charge again.