I went with friends to Würzburg in May 2015, where we know a fellow studying at the city's university. The art historian Kenneth Clark visited the Residence in his landmark 1969 series Civilisation, in which he wondered how much the local people forked over in tithes and taxes in order for the bishop to build such a marvellous abode. Perhaps it was worth it, for the Residence houses one of the greatest works of the Venetian master Tiepolo (of whom more can be seen in the Doge's Palace).

There are over 300 rooms in the residence, many of them restored since destruction in World War II. All-in-all, though, we came out of the Residence feeling a little underwhelmed. We had expected something grander, I think: a more impressive fresco with the wow-factor of those in the Sistine Chapel – however unrealistic that now seems. It was impressive, of course, but not what we had hoped.

But there was more left to see. On a small sign I spotted an arrow pointing to the Residence’s Hofkirche, or Court Chapel. The work of Balthazar Neumann, this chapel really took our breath away, being impossibly ornate and riotous with colour and shape. Inside an inconspicuous wing of the Residence, Neumann took a rectangular space and transformed its interior into three overlapping ovals. Like with Gaudí, there are few straight lines. The overall effect is one of majesty, which must be so difficult to achieve in such a small space.