Parish Church of Maria Himmelfahrt

Baroque parish church with Rococo frescoes by Matthäus Günther

The Parish Church of Maria Himmelfahrt — the Assumption of Mary — stands at the centre of Schongau's Altstadt, a Baroque building rebuilt after the town fire of 1718. The church is notable above all for its Rococo ceiling frescoes, painted by Matthäus Günther in the 1750s. The frescoes cover the entire ceiling of the nave with billowing clouds, angelic figures, and biblical scenes in the warm pastels characteristic of South German Rococo.

The exterior of the church is relatively plain compared to the interior. The tower dates from an earlier period and survived the fire. Inside, apart from the ceiling frescoes, there is a fine set of side altars and a pulpit of carved and gilded wood typical of the period. The church is usually open during the day for visitors.

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A story
The church was almost entirely rebuilt after a fire in 1718 destroyed most of the Altstadt of Schongau. The Rococo frescoes on the ceiling were painted by Matthäus Günther, a leading South German Rococo artist who was also responsible for the famous frescoes at the pilgrimage church of Andechs. Günther worked across Bavaria and the Tirol in the mid-18th century, and his work in Schongau is one of the most accessible examples of his exuberant, pastel-coloured style.