Kreuzkapelle
Holy Cross Chapel (access from Ettstraße) is open until 17:00 during working days.
Early Mass in Holy Cross Chapel
daily at 07:30.
Holy Cross Chapel is considered the most sacred space of St. Michael's; among other precious relics, it used to preserve a piece of wood from the True Cross. The entire room is centered around the veneration of the cross, an idea that the altarpiece by Hans von Aachen (1552–1615) conveys particularly well. The sculptures under the arch that confines the chancel represent Jesus as VIR DOLORUM, the Man of Sorrows, and his mother Mary as MATER DOLOROSA, the Sorrowful Mother. The wall niches contain sculptures of St. Catherine and St. Barbara.
History of the Building
In 1579 Duke William V took over the reign of Bavaria, about two decades after Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, had agreed to establish a Jesuit College in the Bavarian capital shortly before his death (1556). The duke had been educated by Jesuits himself. In his eyes, the tradition of Renaissance humanism seemed ideal for shaping Bavaria in the Catholic spirit.
