Asamkirche, the Asam brothers’ private church

Stand on the opposite pavement so you can take in the whole façade. The church seems to grow out of the rock and stretch upwards to squeeze into the street. That is no illusion: the plot measures barely 22 by 9 metres.

1A church for their own use

Between 1729 and 1733 Egid Quirin Asam, a sculptor and stuccoist, bought the land next to his house and, with his brother Cosmas Damian, a painter, built a church here that nobody had commissioned: they paid for it themselves, for the glory of God and the salvation of their souls. It was consecrated in 1746. Free of clients, the Asams did exactly as they pleased, including a touch worthy of a king: from a window in his home, Egid Quirin could look straight at the high altar. The neighbours complained about such a magnificent church being closed to the public, and the brothers had to open it.

2The saint of the secret

The church is dedicated to Saint John of Nepomuk, the Prague priest who in 1393 was thrown into the Vltava on the orders of King Wenceslas IV. That much is documented. Tradition adds the motive that made him famous: he is said to have refused to reveal to the king what the queen had told him in confession.

That is why Nepomuk is the patron saint of the seal of confession, and this church has seven confessionals.

If you go inside, notice the light: the lower part, where the faithful sit, is dark and symbolises the suffering of the world; higher up everything brightens, and hidden windows light the Trinity group from behind. It is a theatre of light designed to draw your gaze towards heaven.

3What to look for

• The carved rock from which the façade seems to emerge.
• Saint John of Nepomuk above the door, with his halo.
• The Asam house, right next door on the left, from which the altar could be seen.