Dating back to the 8th century, Alter Peter (also known as St. Peter’s Church) is Munich’s oldest parish church. This sacred landmark has a richly layered history; its earliest incarnation was built in the Romanesque style, but by the late 13th century, it was rebuilt in the Gothic design, reflecting the architectural trends of the time. Pointed arches, ribbed vaults along the nave, and slender columns still showcase the church’s Gothic identity.

Due to damage sustained during various wars and the passage of time, the church underwent extensive changes during the 17th and 18th centuries. This period introduced many Baroque flourishes, including gilded ornamentation and wondrous ceiling frescoes vividly depicting scenes from the life of Saint Peter. The architectural evolution, combining its Gothic core with Baroque opulence, creates a dramatic interior that celebrates devotion and divine splendour.

Lining both sides of the nave are several statues of saints, each bearing weapons such as swords, spears, and axes, evoking martyrdom or spiritual battles. If you look carefully to the left, you’ll find one female saint pierced with a sword, her foot resting upon a skull and serpent: a potent symbol of virtue triumphing over evil. These figures, carved with intense expressions and dynamic gestures, are designed to stir the soul, embodying sacrifice and unwavering faith.

Continue your gaze to the left to discover ‘Saint Munditia’, a Christian martyr revered as the patron saint of single, unmarried women. Local legend suggests that women who visit her and make a small offering may soon find love and marriage. Though little is known about her life, it is believed she died around 310 AD in Rome during the period of Christian persecution and was then transferred to Munich in the 17th century during the Baroque renovation. Today, her bejewelled skeleton lies encased in a glass chamber within a side altar and has become one of Munich’s most impressive catacomb saints. Adorned with gold, lace, and precious stones, she clutches a vessel of dried blood, a historic relic of the 18th-century Baroque tradition that turned death into a spectacle, inspiring devotion and awe.

If you look closely, you’ll also see a small, stark skull displayed in its own glass cabinet above ‘Saint Munditia’s’ reliquary. It is believed to be the skull of another early Christian martyr - Saint Erasmus, the patron of mariners and protector against intestinal ailments.

As you wander through the church, you’ll encounter many examples of memento mori in the form of stone carvings, relics, and gilded touches that invite reflection on death and the promise of salvation. These pieces, steeped in the era’s fascination with mortality, were crafted to move the viewer, deepening faith through beauty and artistic expression.

Before you leave, take time to walk around the exterior walls of the church. The weathered stones of the 17th and 18th centuries, etched with skulls, hourglasses, and crossbones, form an open-air gallery of memento mori - quiet invitation to pause, reflect, and honour the lives once lived.