The Kingdom of Bavaria represented by the building (1)
The Bavarian kingdom is embodied in the imposing hemispherical dome supported by four massive pillars each representing one of the four Bavarian tribes. This is conveyed even more strongly by coats of arms in stone relief on the upper part of these massive sloping corner piers of the domed hall which are in the following order: BAVARIA: South-east, as requested by Ludwig I, the historic Lion rampant double queued, crowned of the Palatinate county of Veldenz. FRANCONIA: South-west, Per fess dancetty of the prince-bishops of Würzburg. SWABIA: North-west, the Habsburg-Swabian arms of the county of Burgau Bendy sinister of six, a Pale. COUNTY PALATINATE ON THE RHINE: North-east, a Lion rampant, crowned.
It is quite conceivable that Mellinger was also inspired to depict the kingdom in this particular way during his travels in Italy where there were examples of early Christian ciboria whose hemispherical form representing heaven was supported by four pillars based on a rectangular block symbolising the earth.	(14) Royal Arms of Bavaria*

Above the well preserved group of arms there are relief-style constructions. At one time individual square stone blocks stood here with figures in relief representing the Bavarian orders incorporating symbols linked with Bavarian history and the concept of the state.
The ORDER OF St. HUBERT founded in 1444 was situated above the Bavarian coat of arms. The statutes of this most eminent Bavarian order clearly set out the principles underlying such secular orders: noble birth, close ties with the sovereign and service to the ruling dynasty. The ORDER OF MERIT OF St. MICHAEL founded in 1693 was situated above the arms of the County Palatinate on the Rhine and was only conferred on a select circle of aristocratic Catholics and its aims were strongly religious. The four cardinal virtues of this Order were piety, constancy, strength and fidelity.		Above the arms of Franconia there was the symbol of the Bavarian ROYAL HOUSEHOLD ORDER OF St. GEORG. The statutes of this Order which was established in 1729 and whose membership was exclusively restricted to the Catholic nobility, stipulated religious obligations and the propagation of the Catholic faith as the fundamental aims of the Order. The MILITARY ORDER OF MAX JOSEPH founded in 1806 was once situated over the arms of Swabia. It was the first military decoration of the new kingdom of Bavaria. True to the spirit of the times, this order of chivalry no longer had a saint as its patron. .
(15) Order of St. Hubert – founded 1444 *	(16) Order of Merit of St. Michael – founded 1693 *	(17) Royal Household Order of St. Georg – founded 1729 *	(18) Military Order of Max-Joseph – founded 1806*
Carl de Bouche integrated the arms of the Knights of the Max Joseph Order depicted in coloured glass into the seven big windows of the main hall with the staircase. A large part of this glass painting is still on view in the Army Museum in Ingolstadt.

	To ensure that the Kingdom of Bavaria was also worthily depicted on the exterior of the building, a portico was built on the Royal Garden‘s (the Hofgarten) side with six 13,5 metre high monumental pillars which had no fluting (in the Roman-Ionic style) and six pilasters which have been erected in such a way as to jut out slightly from the masonry. A royal crown blazons from each of the capitals.
(19) Ionic voluted capital with the king`s crown laurel leaf (symbol of victory) egg beading (symbol of new beginnings) pearl beading (symbol for warding off evil) *
	(20) Monumental pillars (Roman-Ionic style) *

	Above this, on a structure in the Attic style, Professor Hugo Kaufmann created two allegorical muschelkalk figures, "STRENGTH" and "HARMONY", flanked by four trophies made by the sculptor Anton Pruska (two on the right and two on the left).
(21) HARMONY *		(22) STRENGTH *

(23,24,25,26) Allegorical representations of the four continents: Europe, Asia, America, Africa *

(*: Please click on the picture to enlarge! )

the domed building (2)	table of contents	kingdom (2)