Katholische Hofkirche
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The Katholische Hofkirche (English: The Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony), and since 1980 also known as Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis (English: Cathedral of the Holy Trinity) is a Roman Catholic Cathedral in Dresden. Previously the most important Catholic parish church of the city, it was elevated to cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen in 1964. It is located near the Elbe River in the historic center of Dresden, Germany.
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History [edit]
The Hofkirche stands as one of Dresden's foremost landmarks. It was designed by architect Gaetano Chiaveri from 1738 to 1751.[1] The church was commissioned by Frederick Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland while the Protestant city of Dresden built the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) between 1726 and 1743. The Elector decided that a catholic church was needed in order to counterbalance the Protestant Frauenkirche.[1]
In the crypt the heart of King August the Strong is buried along with the last King of Saxony and the remains of 49 other members of the Wettin family as well as people who married into the family, such as Princess Maria Carolina of Savoy, wife of Anthony of Saxony.
The church was badly damaged during the bombing of Dresden in World War II and was restored during the mid-1980s under the East German regime. Today it is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen.
The cathedral features a carefully restored organ, the last work of the renowned organ builder Gottfried Silbermann. It also contains a Rococo pulpit by Balthasar Permoser.
Interior [edit]
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High altar from the nave
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Altar painting
Notes and references [edit]
- ^ a b Fritz Löffler: Das alte Dresden - Geschichte seiner Bauten. 16th ed. Leipzig: Seemann, 2006, ISBN 978-3-86502-000-0 (German)
External links [edit]
Media related to Katholische Hofkirche, Dresden at Wikimedia Commons
Coordinates: 51°03′13″N 13°44′15″E / 51.05361°N 13.73750°E
