| Berlin Cathedral | |
|---|---|
Berliner Dom | |
 Berlin Cathedral: Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church (2017) | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation |
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| Province | Union of Evangelical Churches |
| Year consecrated | 1454, as the CatholicSt. Erasmus Chapel |
| Location | |
| Location | Cölln, a historical neighbourhood ofBerlin, Germany |
  Shown within Central Berlin Show map of Central Berlin Berlin Cathedral (Germany) Show map of Germany | |
| Coordinates | 52°31′9″N13°24′4″E / 52.51917°N 13.40111°E /52.51917; 13.40111 |
| Architecture | |
| Architects |
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| Style |
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| Completed |
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| Construction cost | 11.5 millionmarks (1905) |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | west |
| Length | 114 metres (374 ft), shorter since the demolition of the northern memorial hall in 1975 |
| Width | 74 metres (243 ft) |
| Dome height (outer) | 115 metres (377 ft) (until destruction 1944) |
| Materials | originally brick, since 1905, Silesiansandstone |
| Website | |
| www | |
Berlin Cathedral (German:Berliner Dom), also known as theEvangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church, is a monumentalGerman Protestantchurch anddynastictomb (House of Hohenzollern) at theLustgarten on theMuseum Island incentralBerlin. Having its origins as acastle chapel for theBerlin Palace, several structures have served to house the church since the 15th century. The present collegiate church was built from 1894 to 1905 by order of EmperorWilliam II according to plans by Julius Raschdorff inRenaissance andBaroque Revival styles. The listed building is the largest Protestant church inGermany[1] and one of the most important dynastic tombs inEurope.[2] In addition tochurch services, the cathedral is used forstate ceremonies,concerts and other events.
Since the demolition of theMemorial Church(Denkmalskirche) section on the north side by theEast German authorities in 1975, Berlin Cathedral has consisted of the largeSermon Church(Predigerkirche) in the center, and the smallerBaptismal andMatrimonial Church(Tauf- und Traukirche) on the south side and theHohenzollerncrypt(Hohenzollerngruft), which covers almost the entire basement. Damaged during theAllied bombing in World War II, the cathedral's original interior was restored by 2002. Currently there is discussion about restoring the historical exterior as well.
Berlin Cathedral (German:Berliner Dom) is the common name for the Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church (German:Oberpfarr- und Domkirche zu Berlin) inBerlin,Germany.
The Dom is the parish church of the congregationGemeinde der Oberpfarr- und Domkirche zu Berlin, a member of the umbrella organisationEvangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The termDom denotes acollegiate church (equivalent to theItalianduomo, or theEnglish "Minster"); however, as most cathedrals are also collegiate churches, the term "Dom" has become the common term for a cathedral inGerman, though they are not synonymous. Berlin Cathedral has never been a cathedral in the actual sense of that term since it has never been the seat of a bishop. The bishop of theEvangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg (under this name 1945–2003) is based atSt. Mary's Church andKaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin.
Berlin Cathedral has a long history starting as aCatholic place of worship in the 15th century.
The history of today'sSupreme Parish and Collegiate Church and its community dates back to 1451. In that year Prince-ElectorFrederick IIIrontooth ofBrandenburg moved with his residence fromBrandenburg upon Havel toCölln (today'sFishers' Island, the southern part of Museums Island) into the newly erectedCity Palace, which also housed a Catholic chapel. In 1454 Frederick Irontooth, after having returned – via Rome – from his pilgrimage toJerusalem, elevated the chapel to become a parish church, richly endowing it with relics and altars.[3]Pope Nicholas V orderedStephan Bodecker, then Prince-Bishop of Brandenburg, to consecrate the chapel toErasmus of Formiae.[4]
On 7 April 1465 – at Frederick Irontooth's request –Pope Paul II attributed toSt Erasmus Chapel acanon-lawCollege namedStift zu Ehren Unserer Lieben Frauen, des heiligen Kreuzes, St. Petri und Pauli, St. Erasmi und St. Nicolai dedicated toMary(am) of Nazareth, theHoly Cross,Simon Peter,Paul of Tarsus,Erasmus of Formiae, andNicholas of Myra. Acollegiate church is a church endowed with revenues and earning estates, in order to provide a number ofcanons, called incanon law aCollege, withprebends.[4] In this respect a collegiate church is similar to a cathedral, which is why in colloquial German the termcathedral college (Domstift), became thesynecdoche used – pars pro toto – for all canon-law colleges. So the college of St. Erasmus' chapel, calledDomstift in German, bestowed the pertaining church its colloquial naming,Domkirche (cathedral church). Frederick Irontooth provided the college with estates, sufficient to supply eight canon prebendaries.[5] On 20 January 1469, Dietrich IV, then Prince-Bishop of Brandenburg, invested eight clergymen, chosen by Frederick Irontooth, as collegiate canons with the prebends.[4]
In 1535, Prince-ElectorJoachim II Hector reached the consent ofPope Paul III to shut down the 1297-foundedDominican convent (Black Friars), southerly neighboured to the palace, to acquire the pertaining monasticSt. Paul's Church, built ca. in 1345. On 28 May 1536, most of the Black Friars moved to a Dominican monastery in Brandenburg upon Havel. Joachim II Hector assigned the thus void, three-nave church building to theCollegiate Church of Our Lady, the Holy Cross, the Ss. Peter, Paul, Erasmus and Nicholas and enlarged theCollege to 12 prebendaries, bestowing two of them to canons taken on from the Dominican convent.[6]
In 1538, a new western façade with two towers was attached to the collegiate church, which – due to its prior status as a church of amendicant order – had no tower before. In the next year, Joachim II Hector converted from Catholicism toLutheranism, as many of his subjects had done earlier. Thecollegiate church thus became Lutheran too, like most of the electoral subjects and all the churches in the Electorate. However, Joachim II Hector's ideas ofReformation were different from the modern ones. After his conversion he enriched the collegiate church with luxuriant furnishings, such asparaments,monstrances,relics,chasubles, carpets andantependia.[7] From 1545 on the electoral family ofHohenzollern used the church building as their burial place.[8]
In 1608, the year of his accession to the throne, Prince-ElectorJohn Sigismund, then acrypto-Calvinist, dissolved thecollege and the church was renamed intoSupreme Parish Church of Holy Trinity in Cölln.[9] In 1613, John Sigismund publicly confessed hisCalvinist faith (in Germany usually calledReformed Church), but waived his privilege to demand the same of his subjects (Cuius regio, eius religio). So he and his family, except his steadfastly Lutheran wifeAnna, converted, while most of his subjects remained Lutherans. While Berlin's other churches, subject to Lutheran city-council jurisdiction, remained Lutheran, theSupreme Parish Church of Holy Trinity, the Hohenzollern's house church, became Berlin's first, and until 1695, only Calvinist church,[10] serving from 1632 on as the parish for all Calvinists in town.[11] Being now a Calvinist church, the patronage of theHoly Trinity was increasingly skipped.
In 1667, the dilapidated double-tower façade was torn down and in 1717 Martin Böhme erected a newBaroque façade with two towers. With the effect of 1 January 1710, Cölln was united with Berlin under the latter name. In 1747, theSupreme Parish Church was completely demolished to clear space for the baroque extension ofBerlin Palace.
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On 6 September 1750, the new baroque CalvinistSupreme Parish Church was inaugurated, built by Johann Boumannthe Elder in 1747–1750. The electoral tombs were transferred to the new building. The new structure covered a space north of the palace, which is still covered by the present building.[9]
In 1817, under the auspices of KingFrederick William III of Prussia, the community of theSupreme Parish Church, like most Prussian Calvinist and Lutheran congregations joined the common umbrella organization namedEvangelical Church in Prussia (under this name since 1821), with each congregation maintaining its former denomination or adopting the new united denomination. The community of theSupreme Parish Church adopted the new denomination of thePrussian Union. Today'spresbytery of the congregation bears the unusual name in German:Domkirchenkollegium, literallyCathedral College, thus recalling the history of the church as a collegiate church.
In celebration of the UnionKarl Friedrich Schinkel remodeled the interior in the same year and in 1820–1822 the exterior of Boumann's church in theneoclassicist style.[9] TheSupreme Parish and Cathedral Church faced at its southern façadeBerlin City Palace, the residence of theHohenzollerns (severely damaged in World War II and demolished later by the East German government, later reconstructed asHumboldt Forum), and theLustgarten park at its western front, which is still there.
However, in the 19th century, a new building was under discussion, but the post-Napoleonic poverty made its realization impossible. After dismantling the movable interior (altar, paintings, sarcophagi), Boumann's building was demolished in 1893 andJulius andOtto Raschdorff [de], father and son, built the presentSupreme Parish and Cathedral Church in exuberant forms of highNeo-Renaissance style.[9]
With no separation of Protestant church and state ofPrussia,Wilhelm II officiated as thesummus episcopus (Supreme Governor of theEvangelical State Church of Prussia's older Provinces, as it was named since 1875) and the state paid the complete construction cost of 11.5 millionMarks. At 114 metres (374 ft) long, 73 metres (240 ft) wide and 116 metres (381 ft) tall, it was much larger than any of the previous buildings and was considered a Protestant counterweight toSt. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. On 27 February 1905, the present building was inaugurated.[12]
In 1940, the blast waves ofAllied bombing blew away part of the windows. On 24 May 1944, a bomb of combustible liquids entered theroof lantern of the dome. The fire could not be extinguished at that unreachable section of the dome. So the lantern burnt and collapsed into the main floor. Between 1949 and 1953, a temporary roof was built to enclose the building. On 9 May 1967 the then still undividedEvangelical Church of the Union decided a committee for the reconstruction of theSupreme Parish and Cathedral Church, then located inEast Berlin.[13] The government of the EasternGerman Democratic Republic did not oppose the work of the committee due to the concomitant inflow ofDeutsche Marks.
In 1975, reconstruction started, simplifying the building's original design and demolishing the north wing, the 'Denkmalskirche' – Memorial Church. Compared by some to the Medici Chapel, it had survived the war completely intact but was demolished for ideological reasons by the communist government due to it being a hall of honour for the Hohenzollern dynasty. This resulted in scaffolding for restoration appearing on the church while detonation charges were applied to its undamaged rear. The government also demanded the removal of as many crosses as possible. The demolition and redesign cost 800,000 marks, while the restoration (done on the cheap) cost just 50,000 marks.[14] The Berlin Cathedral Building Society now seek to rebuild the Denkmalskirche.[15]
In 1980, thebaptistery and wedding church reopened for services. The restoration of the nave began in 1984. On 6 June 1993, the nave was re-inaugurated in an event attended byFederal ChancellorHelmut Kohl and televised nationwide in Germany. There has been discussion to restore the dome and surrounding cupolas to their original appearance, but this has not occurred due to a lack of funds.
"SIEHE, ICH BIN BEI EUCH ALLE TAGE BIS AN DER WELT ENDE."
("SEE, I WILL BE BY YOU ALL THE DAYS UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD.")
"UNSER GLAUBE IST DER SIEG, DER DIE WELT UEBERWUNDEN HAT."
("OUR FAITH IS THE VICTORY THAT CONQUERED THE WORLD.")
Thepipe organ, built byWilhelm Sauer, was fully restored during reconstruction. It has 113 stops, including three ranks of 32' pipes on the pedal division, played by a 4-manual console:[12]
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Contributing to the cathedral's comprehensive concert programme is their own set of choirs (Berliner Domkantorei) and a brass ensemble (Berliner Dombläser). Berlin Cathedral is also the main place of activity for the renowned boys' choir Staats- und Domchor Berlin, an institution of theBerlin University of the Arts. Since Advent 2015, The English Choir Berlin, a multinational SATB adult choir, sings Choral Evensong (Domvesper in anglikanisher Tradition) monthly on a Saturday evening and, from time to time sings at Sunday morning divine services.
Unlike most large cathedrals in Germany, Berlin Cathedral only has 3 bells hanging in the northwest tower. The bells are suspended in a three-section steel frame. The heaviest bell is calledthe New Wilsnack Bell. It is decorated with images of the Crucified and the Risen Christ. It replaced the bell of the Wilsnack Church of the Holy Blood, dating from 1471, which had been located in the predecessor buildings of Berlin Cathedral since 1552. It became unusable due to a crack in 1921, was repaired, and, cracked again in 1928, was moved to Lauchhammer. There, in 1930, it was saved at the last minute from being melted down by the Märkisches Museum and was placed in the museum'schurch hall in 1935.
| Bell Number | Bell Name (German) | Bell Name (English) | Casting year | Foundry, casting site | Weight | strike tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neue Wilsnacker Glocke | New Wilsnack Bell | 1929 | Lauchhammer Bell Foundry | 3000 kg | h° |
| 2 | Brandenburger Glocke | Brandenburg Bell | 1913 | Bell foundry M & O Ohlsson ( Lübeck ) | 2128 kg | d' |
| 3 | Osterburger Glocke | Osterburg Bell | 1532 | Hinrik van Kampen | 1752 kg | e' |
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