Dresden Cathedral, Dresden, Germany

Dresden Cathedral (Hofkirche) stands as one of Dresden's foremost landmarks. It was designed by architect Gaetano Chiaveri from 1738 to 1751. The church was commissioned by Augustus III, 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 Catholic Elector decided that a Catholic church was needed in order to counterbalance the Protestant Frauenkirche.

In the crypt the heart of King Augustus 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 the remains of 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 of the Second World War and was restored during the mid-1980s by the East German government. 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.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Damaris Love4Nature (5 months ago)
Sooo beautiful. I love this monument for it's beautiful architecture. I really love it and the position is strategic with some breathtaking views on top of it. I feel soo lucky to be here and see such a great peace of art. I visited it in winter with snow and this is the best view ever.

SACHIT VARMA (5 months ago)
Beautiful and historical church in Dresden old town centre next to the river Elbe. It was constructed in the middle of the 18th century and was damaged during the world war bombings. It was then restored and renovated in the 1950-1960s and was also given the status of a cathedral. Indeed very pretty from the inside and from the outside. One of the top places to visit in Dresden!

Vinay Kulkarni (6 months ago)
Lovely church. Nice and scenic. Old heritage. Photo point. Must visit.

MrDrinkDrink (11 months ago)
Looks amazing from outside. The insights are in renovation till the middle of february

Surp Rand (12 months ago)
Simply beautiful. The priest (Fr. Büchner) is also really kind and a pleasure to speak with. For anyone interested in learning more about the Christian faith they offer a Glaubenskurs (in German) with the possibility to be baptised/confirmed at the end during Easter. Mass there is a bit impersonal because there are always new people and few regulars (unless you're there for morning mass on Sunday). But it's a great place even to visit as a tourist. Currently there's construction work going on but after that's over it will look even better.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Martin M. Miles

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The Abbey of Saint-Etienne, also known as Abbaye aux Hommes ('Men"s Abbey'), is a former monastery dedicated to Saint Stephen (Saint Étienne). It is considered, along with the neighbouring Abbaye aux Dames ('Ladies" Abbey'), to be one of the most notable Romanesque buildings in Normandy. Like all the major abbeys in Normandy, it was Benedictine.

Lanfranc, before being an Archbishop of Canterbury, was abbot of Saint-Etienne. Built in Caen stone during the 11th century, the two semi-completed churches stood for many decades in competition. An important feature added to both churches in about 1120 was the ribbed vault, used for the first time in France. The two abbey churches are considered forerunners of the Gothic architecture. The original Romanesque apse was replaced in 1166 by an early Gothic chevet, complete with rosette windows and flying buttresses. Nine towers and spires were added in the 13th century. The interior vaulting shows a similar progression, beginning with early sexpartite vaulting (using circular ribs) in the nave and progressing to quadipartite vaults (using pointed ribs) in the sanctuary.

The two monasteries were finally donated by William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda of Flanders, as penalty for their marriage against the Pope"s ruling. William was buried here; Matilda was buried in the Abbaye aux Dames. Unfortunately William"s original tombstone of black marble, the same kind as Matilda"s in the Abbaye aux Dames, was destroyed by the Calvinist iconoclasts in the 16th century and his bones scattered.

As a consequence of the Wars of Religion, the high lantern tower in the middle of the church collapsed and was never rebuilt. The Benedictine abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution and the abbey church became a parish church. From 1804 to 1961, the abbey buildings accommodated a prestigious high school, the Lycée Malherbe. During the Normandy Landings in 1944, inhabitants of Caen found refuge in the church; on the rooftop there was a red cross, made with blood on a sheet, to show that it was a hospital (to avoid bombings).

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