St. Ulrich and St. Afra

Near the southern end of Maximilianstrasse and behind the Hercules Fountain is the St. Ulrich and Afra Church, the most attractive church in Augsburg.

Ulrich and Afra are the patron saints of the city of Augsburg. Ulrich was a local prince-bishop whos army saved the empire by turning back the Magyars at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955; Afra was a Roman virgin martyr. Both their tombs are sheltered in the church.

The Late-Gothic basilica dedicated to Ulrich and Afra was built 1476-1500 on the site of a Roman temple.

The Peace of Augsburg was signed here in 1555, recognizing both Catholicism and Protestantism as valid denominations.

In the early 1700s, the monastic preaching hall on the north side of the basilica was renovated as the Lutheran Church of St. Ulrich, leaving the other section Catholic and dedicated to Afra.

The double church, half Catholic and half Protestant, makes a fitting tribute to the site where the Peace of Augsburg put an end to violent religious conflict.

The Basilika St Ulrich und Afra is a white, red-roofed Late Gothic structure crowned with a Renaissance tower and distinctive onion dome.

Inside, the Catholic St. Afra is the more elaborate church, with finely carved Baroque railings bordering the entrance. In the choir are three gilded altars, late Renaissance masterpieces by Hans Degler. The Lutheran St. Ulrich is simpler, with a Baroque facade.

The shared crypt contains the tombs of the two namesake saints. Ulrich is interred in an elaborate Rococo shrine; Afra in a simple sarcophagus.

The lance and saddle of St. Ulrich are displayed in the sacristy.