#SAINT MICHAEL ICONOGRAPHY WINDOWS#
Rounded side chapels nestle between strong wall pillars above them, light streams into the room from the large windows of the galleries. The large barrel vault, spanning 20 meters, and the magnificent white stucco create an overwhelming overall impression. The clear space of both nave and choir is 1500 square meters, their height 28 meters and their length 80 meters. Light and shadow mould the wide bowl of the vault. Michael's Church presents itself to the visitor. High, wide and bright, that is how the interior of St. Between Michael and the pedimental sculpture of Christ, three rows of statues show various princes who established the Christian faith in Bavaria and made important contributions to the Catholic character of the country. The patron saint of the church appears in the center of the wall between the portals, representing the victory of light over darkness. Duke William had a special relationship with the Archangel Michael, as he had been born on his feast day, 29 September. The façade showcases the duke's political and religious program to the viewer: the gilded cross shines at the top, reflecting the rays of the sun.
Instead, the entire building was to be fitted into existing architectural structures of the city. The new church was not oriented to the east like older churches, although the first plans still had envisaged this traditional alignment. Michael's was the first church in the city that was given such a monumental front wall, a façade (Italian: faccia, face). There was not enough space for admiring grand façades from an appropriate distance. The streets and alleys of Munich were narrow, as in all medieval cities. For more than two centuries the magnificent church influenced sacred architecture in southern Germany. Michael's is the first and largest Renaissance building north of the Alps.
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