St. Hedwig's Cathedral

Coordinates: 52°30′57″N 13°23′41″E / 52.51583°N 13.39472°E / 52.51583; 13.39472
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
St. Hedwig's Cathedral
Year consecrated
1773
Location
LocationMitte, Berlin, Germany
Architecture
Architect(s)Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff (original)
Hans Schwippert (reconstruction)
StyleBaroque (original)
post-war modernism (reconstruction)
Completed1887 (original)
1963 (reconstruction)
Direction of façadenorth-west
Website
www.hedwigs-kathedrale.de

St. Hedwig's Cathedral (

Allied bombing in World War II, the cathedral's interior was restored from 1952 to 1963 in post-war modernist style as part of the rebuilding of the Forum Fridericianum on Bebelplatz. Since 2018, the listed building has been closed for renovation, and is expected to reopen in the Fall of 2024.[1]

History and architecture

Interior in June 2014

St. Hedwig's Church was built in the 18th century following a request from local parishioners to King

Hedwig of Andechs
. It was the first Catholic church built in
the Reformation. The building was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff and modelled after the Pantheon in Rome.[2]

Construction started in 1747, but was interrupted and delayed several times by economic problems. It was not opened until 1 November 1773, when the king's friend,

Archbishop of Gniezno), officiated at the cathedral's consecration.[2]

After the

concentration camp at Dachau.[3]
In 1965, Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg's remains were transferred to the crypt at St. Hedwig's Cathedral.

The cathedral was severely damaged by Allied bombing in an air raid on 1 March 1943. Only the damaged shell of the building was left standing. Reconstruction started in 1952 and on 1 November 1963, All Saints' Day, the new high altar was consecrated by the Bishop of Berlin, Alfred Cardinal Bengsch.[4]

Between 1949 and 1990, St. Hedwig's was in East Berlin, under the control of the East German government.

The cathedral closed for major renovations on 1 September 2018. The relics of Bl. Bernhard Lichtenberg have been transferred to the crypt of

pontifical masses. A focal point of the renovations is a hemispherical altar composed of small stones from around the diocese collected by parishioners, based on an idea proposed by Austrian artist Leo Zogmayer.[1]

Tapestries

Fitting to the character of the liturgical season, a huge tapestry is hanging behind the cathedra. The cathedral owns three of them; all three share the motif of the heavenly Jerusalem.[5]

The tapestry of former Bauhaus student Margaretha Reichardt (Grete Reichardt) (1907–1984) of Erfurt was handwoven in 1963. It depicts a stylised city with the names of the apostles inscribed on foundation stones. God is represented by the Tree of Life and a lamb features as a symbol of Christ. Anton Wendling [de] (1891–1965) made a colorful appliqué work. It is a geometric composition using themes from the Book of Revelation. The three-part woven carpet made by Else Bechteler-Moses [de] (born 1933) was made in cooperation with Nürnberger Gobelinmanufaktur GmbH, a tapestry weaving company, between 1979 and 1981. This also uses themes from Revelations.

Burials in the crypt

Gallery

  • Historical images
  • drawing of the cathedral by Joseph Maximilian Kolb, 1850
    drawing of the cathedral by Joseph Maximilian Kolb, 1850
  • photograph of the cathedral, 1886
    photograph of the cathedral, 1886
  • interior view, ca. 1780
    interior view, ca. 1780
  • historic interior view before air raids 1943
    historic interior view before air raids 1943
  • ruins of the cathedral, 1946
    ruins of the cathedral, 1946
  • Interior
  • altar column
    altar column
  • organ in the lower church
    organ in the lower church
  • tomb of Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg in the lower church
    tomb of Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg in the lower church

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Vosshenrich, Ursula; Gräf, Carmen (November 1, 2023). "Das neue Herzstück von St. Hedwig" (in German). rbb24. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "History of St. Hedwig's Cathedral". St.Hedwigs Kathedrale Berlin (in German). Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Bernhard Lichtenberg - the righteous among the nations". Yad Vashem. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Destruction and reconstruction". St. Hedwigs Kathedrale Berlin. Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Interior". St.Hedwigs Kathedrale Berlin. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Hedwig's Cathedral (Berlin).

52°30′57″N 13°23′41″E / 52.51583°N 13.39472°E / 52.51583; 13.39472

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St._Hedwig%27s_Cathedral&oldid=1216615382"