Sophienkirche
The Sophienkirche (Saint Sophia's Church) was a church in Dresden.
It was located on the northeast corner of the
History
In 1250
The Franciscan monastery was abolished during the
Sophie of Brandenburg, Hofkirche
The Franciscan Friary stood empty for decades before it was restored in 1610 by Sophie of Brandenburg and reopened as a Lutheran church dedicated to Saint Sofia in her honour. In 1737 it became the (Evangelical Lutheran) Hofkirche (court church) of the Electorate of Saxony (not to be confused with the Roman Catholic Hofkirche the Elector began building at the same time).
Silbermann organ and Bach
Between the years 1718 and 1720 famed pipe organ maker Gottfried Silbermann installed one of the only 50 organs he completed, known for their clear meantone temperament. Johann Sebastian Bach is known to have played concerts on the instrument in 1725 and 1747.[citation needed]
The Kyrie and Gloria from
The Sophienkirche up to 1945
The Sophienkirche was redesigned in the mid-19th century and took its final shape, with its twin
In 1933 the towers were simplified (gothic elements were removed and the spires covered in copper) because they had been deteriorating and were becoming dangerous. This was intended as a temporary solution before restoring the neogothic details later.
1945, destruction and demolition
In the
Gradually the ruins around the destroyed church were cleared. A reconstruction would have been quite possible but a comment by Walter Ulbricht, the party chief of the SED, "... a socialist city does not need Gothic churches", doomed the church.
Despite strong protests by Dresden conservators, architects and citizens, the remains of the church were destroyed in 1962 by resolution of the party and government of the
On 1 May 1963 the last parts of the oldest Dresden church disappeared — except for a partially destroyed sandstone framework of windows, which were stored in the catacombs under Brühl's Terrace.
Memorial
Beginning in 2009 a monument incorporating original fragments of the Busmann chapel has been built in the chapel's original position as a memorial to the Sophienkirche and a reminder of the horrors of war and the misuse of power by dictators. It is intended to enclose the memorial in a glass cube so that it can be used for exhibitions.[6]
See also
References
- ^ David, Hans T.; Mendel, Arthur (1945). The Bach Reader: A Life of Johann Sebastian Bach in Letters and Documents. W. W. Norton & Co. p. 128.
- ISBN 978-0-393-04558-1.
- Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
- ^ David, Hans T.; Mendel, Arthur (1945). The Bach Reader: A Life of Johann Sebastian Bach in Letters and Documents. W. W. Norton & Co. p. 132.
- ISBN 978-3-8062-1928-9. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "Die Busmannkapelle" (in German). Bürgerstiftung Dresden. Retrieved 1 February 2014.