Alte St. Johann Baptist

At the heart of Solln, a district of Munich, stands the Alte St. Johann Baptist. It counts among the oldest churches in the region, and a first record names it in 1315. Evidence points to a church on this ground as early as the twelfth century, then a branch of the Thalkirchen-Sendling parish. The building you see today took shape in the late fifteenth century and carries Gothic and Baroque features side by side.

Its oldest fabric survives in the late Gothic chancel and the square base of the tower. Renovations between 1640 and 1648 added the nave and the octagonal tower top with its pointed helmet roof. Inside, the eye goes first to the Rococo high altar of 1760. Its painting by Balthasar Augustin Albrecht shows John the Baptist, Saint George and the Holy Family. Johann Baptist Straub carved the intricate woodwork, which began life as a private altar for a Munich merchant couple.

Time has pared back the once lavish Baroque interior, yet significant works remain. Look for a sculpture of Saint Sebastian from around 1510 and a Black Madonna from around 1730. A statue of Saint John the Evangelist followed in 1685. And when the hour comes, listen: the two bronze bells, cast in 1654 and 1925, are still rung by hand.