Theatine Church, Munich

A burst of Italian baroque in the heart of Munich, the Theatinerkirche stands on the Odeonsplatz with a butter-yellow facade and a great copper dome that anchor the city's ceremonial centre. Officially the Church of St. Cajetan, it was the court church of the Bavarian electors.

It was founded as a votive offering by Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy in thanksgiving for the birth of their heir, Max Emanuel, in 1662. The couple brought in the Italian architect Agostino Barelli, who modelled it on the Theatine mother church in Rome, and later Enrico Zuccalli completed the twin towers and dome. The curved rococo facade in yellow was added in the 1760s by François de Cuvilliés.

Inside, the effect is dazzlingly white. High baroque stucco, a soaring dome and a richly carved pulpit fill the interior with light and drama, in deliberate contrast to the colourful exterior. The Theatine order gave the church its name and served the Bavarian court; a princely crypt beneath the choir holds members of the House of Wittelsbach, including several electors and kings.

Its position could not be more central. The church closes the north side of Odeonsplatz beside the Feldherrnhalle and the Hofgarten, steps from the Residenz palace and the shopping street Theatinerstraße. Entry to the church is free, and it remains an active place of worship as well as a landmark, so quiet respect is expected during services. The yellow towers are among the most recognisable elements of the Munich skyline and a favourite orientation point for visitors crossing the old town on foot. The arcades of the Hofgarten and the Residenz lie immediately behind, so the church slots naturally into a tour of the former royal quarter.