Ottobeuren Abbey Church
The Benedictine abbey of Ottobeuren celebrated its thousandth anniversary with one of the largest churches of the Rococo. Johann Michael Fischer designed a bright interior in which frescoes, stucco and sculpture flow together. The church is an example of how the South German Rococo turned the church interior into a heaven.
The abbey was founded in 764 and is one of the oldest in Bavaria. Ahead of its thousandth anniversary in 1764 the abbot wanted to rebuild both the abbey and the church. The monastic buildings went up first, and the church was begun in 1737 to plans by several architects. In 1748 Johann Michael Fischer took over and reworked the designs. The church was finished and consecrated in 1766. Fischer was one of the leading architects in southern Germany and built some thirty churches.
The church is about 90 metres long and has a broad transept, so that the space almost takes the form of a cross with a large central area. The façade has two tall towers and a curved centre. Inside, the walls are white and the light is plentiful. Johann Jakob Zeiller painted the frescoes in the domes, and Johann Michael Feichtmayr did the stucco, which frames the frescoes and flows out over the piers. Johann Joseph Christian made the sculptures and the choir stalls. The church has several organs, among them two by Karl Joseph Riepp in the choir.
The abbey was dissolved in the secularisation of 1802 but re-established in 1834 and is still active. The church became a basilica in 1926. It is one of the principal works of the South German Rococo and is often mentioned alongside Vierzehnheiligen and the Wieskirche. The church is also known for its concerts, where the organs and the acoustics attract musicians and audiences.