Category Archives: German Royals

Helena of Nassau, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Helena of Nassau, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Helena of Nassau was the first wife of Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Helena Wilhelmine Henriette Pauline Marianne was born on August 18, 1831, in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in the German state of Hesse. She was the eldest of the three surviving children and the elder of the two surviving daughters of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and his second wife Princess Pauline of Württemberg. Both Helena’s parents were descendants of King George II of Great Britain. Helena’s paternal grandparents were Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau, and Louise Isabelle of Kirchberg. Her maternal grandparents were Prince Paul of Württemberg and his wife Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

Helena had two surviving siblings:

Helena had eight half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen including Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg:

Georg Viktor and Helena; Credit – Pinterest 

On September 26, 1853, in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in the German state of Hesse, Helena married Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, the son of  Georg II, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym. Helena proved to be very successful in finding suitable marriages for their children by making contacts with various European royal houses. Because of her efforts, the relatively poor House of Waldeck-Pyrmont was linked to the richer ruling dynasties of Würtemberg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Georg Viktor and Helena are the ancestors of the Dutch royal family through their daughter Emma and the Swedish royal family through their daughter Helena.

Georg Viktor and Helena with their five elder daughters circa 1864; Credit – Wikipedia

Georg Viktor and Helena had six daughters and one son:

Helena focused on charitable work, chairing many charitable organizations, and involving her children in charitable work from a very young age. Her daughter Emma said of Helena, “Mother had a great talent for dealing with people, to do them justice. We daughters have tried to follow mother’s example, also in her social interest.”

Princely Mausoleum and Cemetery; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Helena was in ill health for the last decade of her life. She died on October 28, 1888, aged 57, in Pyrmont, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in the German state of Lower Saxony. She was buried at the Princely Cemetery at Schloss Rhoden (link in German) in Rhoden, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan (2021) Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/georg-viktor-prince-of-waldeck-and-pyrmont/ (Accessed: October 26, 2022).
  • Helena av Nassau-Weilburg (2022) Wikipedia (Swedish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_av_Nassau-Weilburg (Accessed: October 26, 2022).
  • Helene von Nassau (2021) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helene_von_Nassau (Accessed: October 26, 2022).
  • Princess Helena of Nassau (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Helena_of_Nassau (Accessed: October 26, 2022).
  • William, Duke of Nassau (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William,_Duke_of_Nassau (Accessed: October 26, 2022).

Maria Sophia of Neuburg, Queen of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Maria Sophia of Neuburg, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Sophia Elisabeth of Neuburg, the second wife of Pedro II, King of Portugal, was born on August 6, 1666, at Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf, Duchy of Berg, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. She was the eleventh of the seventeen children and the fourth of the eight daughters of Philipp Wilhelm, Elector of the Palatinate, Count Palatine of Neuburg, Duke of Jülich and Berg and his second wife Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. Maria Sophie’s paternal grandparents were Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg, Duke of Jülich and Berg and Magdalene of Bavaria. Her maternal grandparents were Georg II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophia Eleonore of Saxony.

Maria Sophia had sixteen siblings:

Maria Sophia’s mother had 23 pregnancies and 17 live births and the family gained the reputation as a fertile family. In 1676, Maria Sophia’s eldest sister Eleanore Magdalene married Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor due to the fertility of her family and the lack of male heirs from Leopold I’s two marriages. Eleanore Magdalene fulfilled her role and gave birth to ten children including Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI, and Maria Anna who married Maria Sophia’s son João V, King of Portugal.

Portugal had a succession crisis. Isabel Luísa of Braganza, Princess of Beira, the only child and heir presumptive of Pedro II, King of Portugal, was not married. Because of her sickly nature and the Law of the Cortes of Lamego that prevented the marriage of an heiress to a foreign prince, all marriage possibilities failed. 39-year-old Pedro knew he had to marry again to provide for the succession. 21-year-old Marie Sophia was chosen as Pedro’s second wife because of her family’s reputation for producing fertile women.

Pedro II, King of Portugal, Maria Sophia’s husband; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Sophia and Pedro II, King of Portugal were married by proxy on July 2, 1687, in the chapel of her home Heidelberg Castle in Heidelberg, Electorate of the Palatinate, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. At the beginning of August 1687, Maria Sophia left her home, sailing up the Rhine River on her way to Portugal. As she sailed along the Rhine River, Maria Sophia received tributes from the governors and magistrates of the cities and fortresses on both banks of the river, as well as princes and the governments of the surrounding lands. When she reached the mouth of the Rhine River at the North Sea, Maria Sophia embarked on an English ship provided by King James II of England, the brother-in-law of Catherine of Braganza, widow of King Charles II of England and the sister of Maria Sophia’s future husband. The ship was escorted by a flotilla of English ships commanded by Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, Vice-Admiral of the Narrow Seas an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England.

Maria Sophia arrived in Lisbon, Portugal on August 12, 1687, and was greeted by warships decorated with flags, salvos from castles and fortresses, and church bells. Pedro II came aboard with his entourage and greeted his bride. As they left the ship, they were greeted with salvos from the Portuguese and English fleets. Maria Sophia and Pedro II proceeded to Ribeira Palace where they were married by Luís de Sousa, Archbishop of Lisbon and Royal Chaplain.

Maria Sophia’s and Pedro II’s eldest son João V, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro II and Maria Sophia had eight children so Maria Sophia did her duty by providing heirs. However, only their eldest surviving child João V, King of Portugal married and had children although some of their sons had illegitimate children. Isabel Luísa, Pedro’s daughter by his first wife Maria Francisca of Savoy, was almost the same age as her stepmother and was very fond of her. She remained the heir presumptive to the throne of Portugal until 1689 when her half-brother, the future João V, King of Portugal was born. Sadly, a year later, Isabel Luísa died from smallpox at the age of twenty-one.

Maria Sophia and Pedro’s children:

Maria Sophia was a popular queen and was involved with charities that supported widows and orphans. She allowed poor, sick people access to medical care at the royal palace. Maria Sophia had a great affection for Father Bartolomeu de Quental, (link in German) the chaplain of the royal chapel, and the confessor of the royal family, who had the reputation of a saint. After 1693, when her sister-in-law Catherine of Braganza, the widow of King Charles II of England, moved back to Portugal, Maria Sophia and Catherine had disagreements over court etiquette and precedence, serious topics in the 17th century.

The Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, the burial site for members of the House of Braganza, at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. The four tombs against the wall on the right under the window are the tombs of (top, left to right) Pedro II and Afonso VI (bottom, left to right) Maria Sophia of Neuburg and Maria Francisca of Savoy; Credit – Por Alegna13 – Obra do próprio, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16664413

On August 4, 1699, two days before her thirty-third birthday, Maria Sophia died at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal from erysipelas, a bacterial infection of the skin that can spread to other areas of the body through the bloodstream. She was buried in the habit of a Franciscan nun at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon. Her husband Pedro II survived her by seven years. On December 5, 1706, he had a seizure that resulted in a stroke, and died on December 9, 1706, aged 58, at Palhavã Palace in Lisbon, Portugal. He was succeeded by his 17-year-old son João V, King of Portugal.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Philipp Wilhelm (Pfalz) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Wilhelm_(Pfalz)> [Accessed 29 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Sophia of Neuburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Sophia_of_Neuburg> [Accessed 28 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Peter II of Portugal – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_II_of_Portugal> [Accessed 27 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Pedro II, King of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/pedro-ii-king-of-portugal/> [Accessed 29 May 2022].
  • Louda, Jiri and Maclagan, Michael, 2002. Lines of Succession. London: Little, Brown.
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Sofia Isabel de Neuburgo – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Sofia_Isabel_de_Neuburgo> [Accessed 29 May 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Pedro II de Portugal – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_II_de_Portugal> [Accessed 28 May 2022].

Dresden Cathedral (Katholische Hofkirche) in Dresden, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Dresden Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Dresden Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Dresden in the German state of Saxony. During the time of the Electorate of Saxony and the Kingdom of Saxony, it was called the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony (in German: Katholische Hofkirche). Always the most important Catholic church in Dresden, in 1964, Dresden Cathedral was elevated to the status of co-cathedral, a cathedral church that shares the function of being a bishop’s seat with another cathedral. Dresden Cathedral is a co-cathedral of the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen with St. Peter’s Cathedral in Bautzen, Germany. It also serves as a parish church.

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History of Dresden Cathedral

Dresden Cathedral, circa 1840; Credit – Wikipedia

The House of Wettin split into two ruling branches in 1485: the Ernestine branch and the Albertine branch. The Albertine branch, while less prominent, ruled most of Saxony and briefly ruled Poland. In 1697, Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony converted to Roman Catholicism to obtain the Polish crown. From 1697 to 1706, and again from 1709 until his death in 1733, he reigned as King of Poland as Augustus II while remaining Elector of Saxony. This conversion to Roman Catholicism caused concern in Protestant Saxony, which increased when his grandson the future Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony (who also reigned as Augustus III, King of Poland), also converted in 1712.

Upon his conversion in 1697, Friedrich August I had guaranteed religious freedom for the people of the Electorate of Saxony. However, he did not dare to displease his mostly Protestant subjects by building a Catholic church in Dresden. Instead, he discreetly practiced his Catholic faith in the Dresden Castle chapel. In 1708, Friedrich August I had a ballroom the Opera House at the Taschenberg in Dresden, converted into a Catholic church. He supported the rebuilding of the Frauenkirche, originally a Catholic church until the Reformation, when it became a Protestant church. This gave further assurance to the people of Saxony that Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony would not force upon them the principle of cuius regio, eius religio – whose realm, their religion – meaning that the religion of the ruler was to dictate the religion of those ruled.

It was not until Friedrich August I’s son Friedrich August II succeeded him as Elector of Saxony in 1733 that the Catholic Court Church (Katholische Hofkirche) was commissioned in 1736, initially under strict secrecy. At first, it was referred to as “a certain building”. Because of the conversion of the ruling family of Saxony, it was necessary to build a Roman Catholic church in Dresden to provide a Roman Catholic burial site for members of the Albertine branch. Friedrich August II’s father, Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony who had converted to Roman Catholicism to become King of Poland, had been buried at the Roman Catholic Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland. His wife Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth remained Lutheran and was buried in a Lutheran church. Christiane Eberhardine was called Sachsens Betsäule (Saxony’s pillar of prayer) by the Protestant people of Saxony for her refusal to convert to Catholicism and her loyalty to the Protestant faith.

The church was designed by Italian architect Gaetano Chiaveri and construction was carried out from 1739 to 1755. Initially, the Catholic Court Church was for the use of the Elector of Saxony, his family, and high-ranking officials and it was connected with a walkway to Dresden Castle, the residence of the family of the Elector of Saxony, and later, the King of Saxony. The Catholic Court Church was consecrated as the Court Church of the Most Holy Trinity on June 29, 1751, four years before the church was entirely completed, by Archbishop Alberico Archinto, Apostolic Nuncio to Poland.

Dresden Cathedral’s destroyed roof after the 1945 bombing; Credit – Wikipedia

During the joint British and American bombing of Dresden during World War II, from February 13 – February 15, 1945, the church was hit by bombs and badly damaged. As early as June 1945, mass was celebrated in the Benno Chapel and later in the left aisle. In 1962, the nave could be used again and the restoration was completed by 1965.

From March 2020 to February 2021 the cathedral was closed for extensive renovation work including the rebuilding of the walkway from the church to Dresden Castle. The nave was temporarily scaffolded up to the ceiling to repair damage and dirt on the ceiling and walls. The sacristy was completely redesigned and the cathedral received new lighting and a new speaker system.

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The Exterior of Dresden Cathedral

An aerial view of Dresden Cathedral; Credit – Von Carsten Pietzsch – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31879551

The cathedral was built in the late Baroque style. The structure of the free-standing, high central nave and the lower ambulatory aisle which completely surrounds the nave, are clearly visible from the outside. The ambulatory aisle served as a procession area. Any form of outdoor Catholic worship was forbidden in Protestant Saxony, and Catholic processions were banned.

Statues of saints; Credit – By Ad Meskens – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41602816

A striking feature of Dresden Cathedral is the seventy-eight larger-than-life statues of saints on the façade and the balustrades designed by the Italian sculptor Lorenzo Mattielli and the Dresden sculptors Paul and Jakob Mayer. The saints were chosen by Maria Josepha of Austria, Electress of Saxony, Queen of Poland, the Italian Jesuit and court confessor Ignatius Guarini (link in German), and the church architect Gaetano Chiaveri. Male and female saints are depicted and include apostles, evangelists, church fathers, founders of religious orders, important Jesuits, patron saints from the Saxon, Bohemian, Habsburg, and Polish regions, and allegorical figures.

During the bombing of Dresden in February 1945, sixteen statues were completely destroyed, eighteen were severely damaged, and numerous others had minor damage. From 1961 to 1972, the damaged statues were restored. The destroyed figures were replaced with copies from 1968 to 2002. Since 2002, unstable statues have been replaced with copies.

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The Interior of Dresden Cathedral

The nave looking toward the high altar; Credit – Von Jörg Blobelt – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62227414

The interior is divided into a nave, two aisles, and four corner chapels. A feature unique to Dresden Cathedral is the procession ambulatory, which runs around the entire nave. It was integrated into the church, at the time of construction, because Dresden was a Protestant city and the Catholic processional services had to take place inside.

The High Altar

The High Altar; Credit – Von Jörg Blobelt – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62227415

The high altar, made from marble and gilded bronze ornaments, was created by the Italian sculptor Andrea Salvatore di Antonio Aglio. The altarpiece, the large painting above the high altar, depicts the Ascension of Jesus Christ by Dresden court painter Anton Raphael Mengs.

The Left Aisle

The Martyrs Altar; Credit – By Ricardalovesmonuments – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110287469

At the end of the left aisle was originally an altar dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier but it was destroyed in the 1945 Dresden bombing. It was replaced by the Martyrs’ Altar commemorating three World War II martyrs whose ashes were originally interred in the Old Catholic Cemetery in Dresden (link in German). The three urns with their ashes were transferred on February 5, 2011, in a procession from the Old Catholic Cemetery to Dresden Cathedral where they are kept permanently on the Martyrs’ Altar.

  • Blessed Alois Andritzki (1914 – 1943), a German Roman Catholic priest who was a vocal critic of the Nazi regime and was killed by lethal injection in the Dachau concentration camp, beatified (the last step before sainthood) in 2011 at Dresden Cathedral
  • Bernhard Wensch (link in German) (1908 – 1942), a German Roman Catholic priest who was a vocal critic of the Nazi regime, died in the Dachau concentration camp
  • Aloys Scholze (link in German) (1893 – 1942), a German Roman Catholic priest who was a vocal critic of the Nazi regime, died in the Dachau concentration camp

Tje baptismal font by sculptor Balthasar Permoser; Credit – By SchiDD – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=111691972

Also in the left aisle is the baptismal font with a gilded metal lid created by sculptor Balthasar Permoser in 1721.

The Right Aisle

Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus, surrounded by angels by German sculptor Herman Leitherer; Credit – By Ricardalovesmonuments – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110287485

At the end of the right aisle was originally an altar dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola but it was destroyed in the 1945 Dresden bombing. An altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary replaced the original altar. In the wall niche above the altar is a statue of Mary holding the Infant Jesus, surrounded by angels created, by German sculptor Herman Leitherer (link in German) in 1987, inspired by the Mühlhausen altar in Bamberg Cathedral.

The Four Corner Chapels

Four chapels are located at the four corners of Dresden Cathedral. All four chapels suffered damage during the Dresden bombing in February 1945. Three of the corner chapels have been restored close to their original. An exception is the Memorial Chapel commemorating the victims of World War II which is an entirely new chapel.

The Sacrament Chapel

The Sacrament Chapel; Credit – By Mogadir – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43707533

The Sacrament Chapel, dedicated to the Eucharist (Holy Communion), is located at the southwest corner and is used for silent worship. The Founder’s Crypt, where the Electors and Kings of Saxony from 1694 to 1827 and some family members are interred, is located under the Sacrament Chapel.

The reproduction of The Institution of the Eucharist by the German painter Gerhard Keil; Credit – By Jörg Blobelt – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=98058798

The original altarpiece, the painting over the altar, The Institution of the Eucharist (by French painter Louis de Silvestre, 1752), was destroyed in the Dresden bombing. It was replaced in 1984 with a reproduction by the German painter Gerhard Keil (link in German).

The reproduction of the ceiling fresco Adoration of the Eucharistic; Credit – By Jörg Blobelt – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77116515

The ceiling fresco Adoration of the Eucharistic (by Italian painter Stefano Torelli, 1755) was also destroyed and was recreated.

The Cross Chapel

The Cross Chapel; Credit – By Ad Meskens – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41624986

The Cross Chapel is located at the northwest corner. It is where weekday masses for the cathedral parish are celebrated. The Royal Crypt, where the two Kings of Saxony from 1830 to 1873 and their wives are interred is located under the Cross Chapel.

The altarpiece, Crucifixion of Christ (by French painter Charles François Hutin, 1753), was restored after the Dresden bombing but the ceiling fresco painted by Benjamin Theil in 1787 was damaged and was only partly restored.

The Benno Chapel

The Benno Chapel; Credit – By Ricardalovesmonuments – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110287472

The Benno Chapel is located at the southeast corner. It is dedicated to Saint Benno of Meissen (circa 1010 – 1106) who was named Bishop of Meissen in 1066. Benno, venerated since the 13th century, was canonized as a saint in 1523. Saint Benno is the patron saint of the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen and also the city of Munich in Bavaria, Germany.

Reproduction of Bishop Benno Proclaiming the Christian Faith to the Sorbs; Credit – By Jörg Blobelt – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=98058793

The original altarpiece Bishop Benno Proclaiming the Christian Faith to the Sorbs, a West Slavic ethnic group who lived in Saxony and Brandenburg (by Stefano Torelli, 1752), and the ceiling fresco (by Austrian painter Franz Anton Maulbertsch, 1770 ) were destroyed in the Dresden bombing and reproductions were made.

Reliquary made by German sculptor Paul Brandenburg containing Saint Benno of Meissen’s miter; Credit – Bistum Dresden-Meissen (Diocese of Dresden-Meissen)

On the altar is a reliquary made by German sculptor Paul Brandenburg (link in German) in 1997 containing Saint Benno of Meissen’s miter, the traditional headdress of a bishop, which is venerated as a relic.

The Memorial Chapel

Friedrich Press’ Pietà and altar in the Memorial Chapel; Credit – Bistum Dresden-Meissen (Diocese of Dresden-Meissen)

The Memorial Chapel is located on the northeast corner and is the new chapel that was built to replace the one that was destroyed in the Dresden bombing. The original chapel was dedicated to Saint Johann Nepomuk (circa 1345 – 1393) who was tortured and drowned after being thrown into the Vltava River (Moldau River in German) from Charles Bridge in Prague, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia, by order of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia after a dispute.  Johann Nepomuk was the confessor of King Wenceslaus IV’s second wife Sophia of Bavaria, Queen of Bohemia and apparently, he refused to reveal her confession.

Since 1976, the chapel has been a memorial for the victims of the Dresden bombing in February 1945 that killed up to 25,000 people. Displayed in the Memorial Chapel is a modern Pietà, a work of art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. Sculpted by German sculptor Friedrich Press (link in German) (1904 – 1990), the Pietà in the Memorial Chapel is the largest sculpture ever made from Meissen porcelain. The altar in the Memorial Chapel is also the work of Friedrich Press. During the Nazi regime, Press’ works were officially considered “degenerate art.” After World War II, nearly all of his works were religious-related art.

High up on the walls of the Memorial Chapel are the words of the sermon during the last mass before the bombing. Also on the walls are the names of 52 priests from the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen who were killed by the Nazis.

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Burials in the Founders Crypt

The Founders Crypt; Credit – By Mogadir – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43489343

The Founders Crypt is located under the Sacrament Chapel in the south of the cathedral. The Electors and Kings of Saxony from 1694 to 1827 are interred here. The crypt contains nine coffins including the coffins of three children of Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony, during whose reign the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony was built. The three coffins are the oldest in the entire burial crypt and were moved from their original burial site in 1751.

The heart of Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony, who reigned also as Augustus II (the Strong), King of Poland in a niche in the Founders Crypt; Credit – By Mogadir – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43489045

In addition, the heart of Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony, who reigned also as Augustus II (the Strong), King of Poland rests in a niche in the Founders Crypt. His body was buried in Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland.

Burials in the Royal Crypt

The Royal Crypt; Credit – By User:Kolossos – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2452678

The two Kings of Saxony from 1830 to 1873 and their wives are interred in the Royal Crypt under the Cross Chapel of the cathedral. The Royal Crypt is the smallest burial place in the church but the sarcophagi are the most ornate. The bronze sarcophagi were decorated in the Neo-Baroque style and each weigh five tons. King Johann’s sarcophagus is decorated with the owl of the Greek goddess Athena in honor of his knowledgable and studious nature. King Johann was an avid student of literature, and under a pseudonym, published numerous translations into German, including Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Burials in the New Crypt

The New Crypt; Credit – By Mogadir – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43488502

The two Kings of Saxony from 1873 to 1918, along with some of their relatives are interred in the New Crypt under the southeast aisle of the cathedral. The most recent burial in the cathedral is that of Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony son of Friedrich August III, King of Saxony, who became a Roman Catholic priest and renounced his succession rights.

Burials in the Great Crypt

The Great Crypt; Credit – royaltyguide.nl

Twenty-five coffins of members of the electoral and royal families of Saxony from 1763 to 1898 are interred in the Great Crypt under the northwest aisle of the cathedral.

  • Joseph of Saxony (1754 – 1763), son of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony
  • Karl Maximilian of Saxony (1752 – 1781), son of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony
  • Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony (1764 – 1782), 1st wife of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Friedrich August of Saxony (born and died 1796), son of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Maria Ludovica of Saxony (1795 – 1798), daughter of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Maria Johanna of Saxony (1798 – 1799), daughter of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Maria Theresa of Saxony (born and died 1799), daughter of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Carolina of Bourbon-Parma, Hereditary Princess of Saxony (1770 – 1804), wife of Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony
  • Franz Xaver of Poland and Saxony (1730 – 1806), son of Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony/Augustus III, King of Poland
  • Maria Elisabeth of Poland and Saxony (1736 – 1818), daughter of Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony/Augustus III, King of Poland
  • Maria Anna of Saxony (1761 – 1820), daughter of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony
  • Maria Kunigunde of Poland and Saxony (1740 – 1826), daughter of Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony/Augustus III, King of Poland
  • Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Saxony (1767 – 1827) 2nd wife of Anton, King of Saxony
  • Maria Karoline of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony (1801 – 1832), 1st wife of Friedrich August II, King of Saxony
  • Anton, King of Saxony (1755 – 1836), son of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony
  • Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony (1759 – 1838), son of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony, renounced his succession to the throne in favor of his son Friedrich August II
  • Ernst of Saxony (1831 – 1847), son of Johann I, King of Saxony
  • Maria Augusta of Saxony (1827 – 1857), daughter of Johann I, King of Saxony
  • Marie Johanna Amalie of Saxony (1860 – 1861), daughter of Georg, King of Saxony
  • Sidonia of Saxony (1834 – 1862), daughter of Johann I, King of Saxony
  • Maria Augusta of Saxony (1782 – 1863), daughter of Friedrich Augustus I, King of Saxony
  • Elisabeth of Saxony (1862 – 1863), daughter of Georg, King of Saxony
  • Amalie of Saxony (1794 – 1870), daughter of Prince Maximilian of Saxony, granddaughter of Friedrich Christian, Elector of Saxony
  • Maria Anna of Portugal, Princess of Saxony (1843 – 1884), wife of Georg, King of Saxony
  • Maria Alix Carola of Saxony (born and died 1898), daughter of Friedrich August III, King of Saxony

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bistum-dresden-meissen.de. 2022. Geschichte der Kathedrale. [online] Available at: <https://www.bistum-dresden-meissen.de/wir-sind/kathedrale/geschichte/geschichte-der-kathedrale> [Accessed 13 May 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Katholische Hofkirche – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katholische_Hofkirche> [Accessed 13 May 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Liste der Bestatteten in der Wettiner-Gruft der Katholischen Hofkirche – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Bestatteten_in_der_Wettiner-Gruft_der_Katholischen_Hofkirche> [Accessed 13 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Dresden Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Cathedral> [Accessed 13 May 2022].

Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony was the first wife of the future Anton, King of Saxony. Maria Carolina Antonietta Adelaide was born on January 17, 1764, at the Royal Palace of Turin in the Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy. She was the tenth of the twelve children and the youngest of the six daughters of Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy and Infanta Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain. Maria Carolina’s paternal grandparents were Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy and the second of his three wives Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. Her maternal grandparents were Felipe V, King of Spain and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese.

Maria Carolina’s parents and some of their older children in 1760; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Carolina had eleven siblings:

Maria Carolina was raised with her two younger siblings, the future Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia and Prince Giuseppe of Savoy, Count of Asti. In 1781, Maria Carolina’s father decided she would marry Anton, Electoral Prince of Saxony, who was the heir to his elder brother Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony. Despite her protests, seventeen-year-old Maria Carolina was married by proxy on September 29, 1781, in the chapel of Moncalieri Castle near Turin. The eldest brother of the bride, the future Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia, stood in for the groom. Wedding celebrations were held throughout Turin and official balls were held at the Royal Palace in Turin and Moncalieri Castle.

Shortly after the proxy marriage, Maria Carolina reluctantly left Turin for Dresden, the capital of Saxony. Her family accompanied her as far as Vercelli, eighty miles from Turin, where she boarded a carriage that would take her to Saxony. Her sister Maria Giuseppina wrote about the trip: “We accompanied Maria Carolina to Vercelli. She was afraid. She didn’t want to get married, but the matters of state require that a princess usually get married. Maria Carolina must understand that. She has a certain tendency to shyness. I hope she will correct it so that both she and Prince Antonio can get along. Our sister Maria Teresa and I had to push her out of the carriage. She was crying, I hope she is well in Saxony.” Both Maria Carolina’s elder sisters understood the duties of a princess very well. Previously, Maria Teresa had married the future King Charles X of France and Maria Giuseppina the future King Louis XVIII of France. However, both sisters died before their husbands became King of France.

Anton and Maria Carolina; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Carolina arrived in Dresden in the Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, on October 24, 1781, and she saw her husband for the first time. Their in-person wedding took place that evening. Maria Carolina’s husband Anton and his brother Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony did their best to make her feel welcome in Saxony but she remained sad and homesick.

Tomb of Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Around December 14, 1782, Maria Carolina became ill with smallpox, and died on December 28, 1782, at the age of 18. She was buried in the Great Crypt of the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony (in German: Katholische Hofkirche) in Dresden, now known as Dresden Cathedral. Popular in her homeland, Maria Carolina was remembered in a folk song, “The Beautiful Mademoiselle,” composed in her honor after her early death. Maria Carolina’s husband married a second time to Maria Theresa of Austria. They had four children who all died in infancy. Anton became King of Saxony at the age of 72. He reigned for nine years, dying on June 6, 1836, fifty-four years after the death of his first wife Maria Carolina.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Maria Carolina von Savoyen – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Carolina_von_Savoyen> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Princess Maria Carolina of Savoy – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Carolina_of_Savoy> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-amadeo-iii-king-of-sardinia-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2017. Anton, King of Saxony. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/anton-king-of-saxony/> [Accessed 14 May 2022].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Мария Каролина Савойская — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F> [Accessed 14 May 2022].

Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) and the Temple of Antiquities in Potsdam, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The Friedenskirche with the domed Kaiser Friedrich Mauseleum on the left; Credit – By Arild Vågen – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29982486

The Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) is a Lutheran church in Sanssouci Park, surrounding Sanssouci Palace, in Potsdam, Germany. Sanssouci Palace was built between 1745 – 1747 in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, during the reign of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia as his summer palace.

Sanssouci Park contains other structures including:

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History of the Friedenskirche

The Friedenskirche with the domed Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum of the right; Credit – By Wolfgang Staudt – originally posted to Flickr as Potsdam Friedenskirche, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3988614

In 1839, as Crown Prince of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia devised a preliminary plan for a church in the Sanssouci Park that would meet the needs of the Prussian court to worship while in summer residence at Sanssouci Palace. He envisioned a church with a lake, a park, and additional buildings. When Friedrich Wilhelm IV became King of Prussia in 1840, he began to carry out those plans. However, he was quite particular and repeatedly rejected the designs of the court architect Friedrich Ludwig Persius. After nearly two years, Friedrich Wilhelm III approved Persius’ plans. The cornerstone was laid on April 14, 1845. However, three months later Persius died and architect Friedrich August Stüler continued the project. On September 24, 1848, the Friedenskirche was consecrated in the presence of King Friedrich IV and his wife Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia. The church served not only as a chapel royal but also as a church for the parish of Brandenburger Vorstadt, a part of Potsdam.

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The Exterior of the Friedenskirche

Friedenskirche; Credit – Von Gemeingut im Foto – Eigenes Werk, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39348752

The Friedenskirche was built in the style of an early Christian church with buildings surrounding the church built in the style of northern Italian monastery buildings.

The inner courtyard with the statue of Christ: Credit – By Wolfgang Staudt – originally posted to Flickr as Church of Peace, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3988611

There is an inner courtyard with a fountain and a life-size statue of Christ, a copy of the 1821 statue by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The bell tower; Credit – Von Miguel Hermoso Cuesta – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37843644

Next to the church is a free-standing bell tower modeled after the bell tower at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, Italy.

Steinbrück fresco depicting Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane; Credit – By Elena Jamov – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21668281

On the eastern side of the church, there is a fresco by German painter and etcher Eduard Steinbrück depicting Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

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The Interior of the Friedenskirche

The interior of the Friedenskirche; Credit – By Jochen Teufel – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7216909

The Friedenskirche is a columned basilica with three aisles and no transept.

The 13th century mosaic in the aspe; Credit – Von Karl-Heinz Meurer (–Charlie1965nrw) – HDR-Bild aus drei digitalen Fotografien, selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11906128

When he was Crown Prince of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV had purchased at auction a 13th-century mosaic from a church that was going to be demolished, the 1109 Church of San Cipriano on Murano near Venice, Italy. The Byzantine mosaic shows Jesus Christ seated on a throne as the judge of the world. This mosaic was installed in the apse over the altar.

The main altar; Credit – By J.hagelüken – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33175253

The four dark green columns of the main altar ciborium, the structure over the altar, are made of Siberian jasper and were a gift from Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia in 1842. Nicholas I was married to Friedrich Wilhelm IV’s sister Charlotte.

Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia with her daughters at the coffin of her husband Friedrich III in the Friedenskirche; Credit – Wikipedia

The sacristy is in the left aisle. After Friedrich Wilhelm IV’s death, it was temporarily used as a resting place for his coffin. Upon the deaths of nearly two-year-old Prince Sigismund in 1866 and eleven-year-old Prince Waldemar in 1879, the sons of the future Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia and his wife Victoria, Princess Royal, their coffins were interred in the sacristy. In 1888, Friedrich III’s coffin was also interred here. After the completion of the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum, all three coffins were moved there. In 1920, Prince Joachim, the youngest son of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor, and King of Prussia was interred in the sacristy. His coffin was moved to the Temple of Antiquities in 1931.

The entrance to the royal crypt; By Ra Boe / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11867337

The entrance to the royal crypt is under two marble tablets honoring Friedrich Wilhelm IV and his wife Elisabeth Luise in front of the altar steps. Friedrich Wilhelm IV died on January 2, 1861, following several strokes. His coffin rested in the sacristy of the Friedenskirche until it was moved to the royal crypt after its dedication in October 1864.

It was common to hold confirmations of members of the House of Hohenzollern at the Friedenskirche. Among those confirmed there were Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia, son of Friedrich III, and his seven children.

 

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia, the great-great-grandson of Wilhelm II and the current head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, and Princess Sophie of Isenburg were married at the Friedenskirche on August 27, 2011.

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The Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum

The Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum; Credit – By Barbas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17290128

Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia reigned for only 99 days, dying at the age of 56 on June 15, 1888. Already seriously ill with cancer of the larynx, he succeeded his father Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia on March 9, 1888. Friedrich III was succeeded by his son Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. The year 1888 is called “The Year of Three Emperors” in German history. Friedrich III’s coffin was initially placed in the sacristy of the Friedenskirche. From 1888 – 1890, the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum was added to the north side of the Friedenskirche. It was designed by architect Julius Carl Raschdorff who also designed the 1893 – 1905 reconstruction of the Berlin Cathedral. After the inauguration of the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum on October 18, 1890, the coffins of Friedrich III, along with those of his two sons who had died in childhood, were moved from the sacristy of the Friedenskirche to the mausoleum. When Friedrich III’s wife Victoria died in 1901, she was also interred in the mausoleum.

Julius Carl Raschdorff designed the mausoleum in the Baroque-influenced Italian High Renaissance style based upon the 17th-century Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher in San Candido, Italy which was modeled after the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The mausoleum is a domed building with a circular floor plan with an attached rectangular chancel. A gold mosaic on the vaulted ceiling alternately depicts angels and palm trees.

Tomb of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

In the middle of the rotunda are the marble sarcophagi of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia and his wife, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Victoria, Princess Royal.

Tombs of Victoria and Friedrich next to each other; Credit – By TeeBee – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47840199

Tomb of Prince Sigismund; Credit – Wikipedia

Prussian sculptor Reinhold Begas created the effigies of Friederich III and his wife Victoria and also created the tombs of Prince Sigismund and Prince Waldemar, the two sons of Friedrich III and Victoria who died in childhood, that stand against the side walls.

Tomb of Prince Waldemar; Credit – http://www.findagrave.com

Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia was originally interred at the Garrison Church in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia. During World War II, his coffin, along with several others, were moved, for their protection, to a salt mine near Bernterode, Germany. The coffins were discovered by occupying American forces, who re-interred them in St. Elisabeth’s Church in Marburg, Germany in 1946. Friedrich Wilhelm I’s original black marble sarcophagus was destroyed in 1945 and his remains were placed in a copy made from copper. In 1953, Friedrich Wilhelm I’s coffin was moved to Hohenzollern Castle in Hechingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The coffin finally found its final resting place in 1991, on the steps of the altar in the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum in the Friedenskirche.

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Burials at the Friedenskirche

Sarcophagi of Friedrich Wilhelm IV and his wife Elisabeth Luise in the royal crypt; Credit – By Wo st 01 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7032743

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The Temple of Antiquities

The Temple of Antiquities; Credit – Wikipedia

While it is now a mausoleum, the Temple of Antiquities was originally built to house the collection of classical works of art, antique artifacts, antique coins, and antique gems of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia intended to convert the Temple of Antiquities into a court chapel but the plans were never carried out because of World War I. On April 19, 1921, Wilhelm II’s first wife Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein, German Empress, Queen of Prussia was interred in the Temple of Antiquities as per her wishes and it became the burial site of several other members of the House of Hohenzollern.

All the Hohenzollerns interred at the Temple of Antiquities are relatives of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. After World War I, Wilhelm II went into exile in the Netherlands, where he purchased Huis Doorn, a small manor house outside of Doorn, a small town near Utrecht in the Netherlands. As a condition of his exile, Wilhelm could never return to Germany and was allowed only to travel within a radius of fifteen miles from his house. A mausoleum in the garden of Huis Doorn near Wilhelm’s favorite rhododendrons was built to house his remains. Both his wives were interred at the Temple of Antiquities.

Coffins inside the Antique Temple; Credit – Wikipedia

Those interred at the Temple of Antiquities:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antikentempel – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikentempel> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Friedenskirche (Potsdam) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedenskirche_(Potsdam)> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antique Temple – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique_Temple> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Church of Peace, Potsdam – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Peace,_Potsdam> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • Royaltombs.dk. 2022. The Valley of the Kings – Burial Places of European Monarchs. [online] Available at: <http://www.royaltombs.dk/> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • Unofficial Royalty. 2022. Kingdom of Prussia Index. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/current-monarchies-article-index/german-royals-index/prussian-index/> [Accessed 11 March 2022].

Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) in Berlin, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Berlin Cathedral; Credit – By Ansgar Koreng / CC BY 3.0 (DE), CC BY 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41469664

Located in Berlin, the capital of Germany, the Berlin Cathedral, known in German as the Berliner Dom, is a member of the Evangelical Church in Germany, a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist), and United (Prussian Union, for example) Protestant regional churches and denominations in Germany. As with many churches in Europe, the religious affiliation of the Berlin Cathedral has changed over the centuries: Roman Catholic until 1539, Lutheran from 1539–1632, Reformed from 1632–1817, and United (Prussian Union) from 1817 – present. The current church was built from 1894 to 1905 during the reign of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. Although lesser well known than other royal burial sites, the Hohenzollern Crypt in the Berlin Cathedral is the most important dynastic burial site in Germany and rivals the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, Westminster Abbey in London, England, the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France, and the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

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House of Hohenzollern

Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

The Protestant Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern ruled as Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia, Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia from 1415 until 1918. The first King in Prussia succeeded his father as Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg in 1688. The Electorate of Brandenburg was part of the Holy Roman Empire, while the Duchy of Prussia, formerly a fief of the Crown of Poland, lay outside the Empire’s borders. The Duchy had been inherited by the Hohenzollern Prince-Electors of Brandenburg in 1618 and was ruled in personal union.

Friedrich I, the first King in Prussia, formerly Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

In November 1700, in exchange for supporting the Holy Roman Empire in the Spanish War of Succession, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor agreed to allow Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg to make Prussia a kingdom and become its first king. Because the Hohenzollerns’ sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia was dependant upon succession in the male line (and would return to the Polish crown if there were no male heirs to succeed), Friedrich I agreed to style himself King in Prussia and not King of Prussia. In 1772, King Friedrich II (the Great) in Prussia, through several battles and wars, united the various parts of his kingdom, taking the title King of Prussia.

In 1871, the German Empire, consisting of four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities, three free Hanseatic cities, and one imperial territory, was proclaimed. The King of Prussia was also the German Emperor (Kaiser). In the aftermath of World War I, Prussia had a revolution that resulted in the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia abdicated on November 9, 1918. On November 10, 1918, Wilhelm Hohenzollern crossed the border by train and went into exile in the Netherlands, never to return to Germany.

The Kingdom of Prussia had territory that today is part of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland. All or parts of the following states of today’s Germany were part of the Kingdom of Prussia: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein.

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History of the Berlin Cathedral

The Berlin Cathedral; Credit – By Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64059550

The original church was consecrated in 1454, as the Roman Catholic St. Erasmus Chapel, the chapel of the Berlin Palace, the main residence of the House of Hohenzollern from 1443 – 1918.  St. Erasmus Chapel was used for the services of the family of the Elector of Brandenburg and the court. In 1465, Pope Paul II raised it to the status of a collegiate church. Eventually, the chapel could not meet the growing needs of the Electors of Brandenburg.

The first cathedral, used 1536–1747; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1535, the Dominican monastery church south of the Berlin Palace was converted into the first cathedral. The Gothic brick church was expanded and richly furnished. A burial site for the House of Hohenzollern was established. The new cathedral was consecrated in 1536. A new western façade with two towers was built in 1538. Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg converted to Lutheranism in 1539 and the Catholic cathedral became a Protestant cathedral.

Model of the Baroque cathedral by Jan Boumann and Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff; Credit – Wikipedia

Over the years, the Gothic brick cathedral became dilapidated. From 1747 – 1750, Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia had a new Baroque cathedral, designed by Dutch architect Jan Boumann and Prussian architect and painter Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, built where the current cathedral stands today. After the coffins of the Hohenzollern family members were transferred to the new cathedral, the old cathedral was demolished to clear space for the Baroque extension of the Berlin Palace. On September 6, 1750, the new Baroque cathedral was consecrated. Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel remodeled the interior in 1817 and the exterior in 1820 – 1822 in the Neoclassicist style.

Model of Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s remodeling of the exterior in the Neoclassicist style; Credit – Wikipedia

After the founding of the German Empire in 1871, there had been calls for a new church that could compete with the major churches in the world and impressively replace the previous churches. In 1885, Prussian architect Julius Carl Raschdorff, professor of architecture at the Technical University of Berlin, presented plans for a new cathedral in an adaptation of the Italian High Renaissance style and influenced by the Baroque style. After dismantling the movable interior decorations (altar, paintings, tombs), the cathedral designed by Boumann and von Knobelsdorff was demolished in 1893. The cornerstone for the new cathedral was laid on June 17, 1894, with the goal of consecrating the cathedral in 1900. However, due to construction delays, the consecration did not take place until February 27, 1905. The state paid the entire construction cost. The new cathedral was much larger than any of the previous churches and was considered a Protestant rival to the Roman Catholic St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Berlin Cathedral in 1905; Credit – Wikipedia

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World War II Destruction and Reconstruction

Berlin Cathedral in May 1945 with much damage, compare it to the photo above; Credit – Wikipedia

The Berlin Cathedral suffered much damage during World War II. Allied air raids destroyed windows and major cracks appeared on the cupolas of the corner towers. On May 24, 1944, the dome and its cupola lantern were hit by a bomb of combustible liquids. The resulting fire was unreachable and could not be extinguished. The entire cupola lantern fell into the interior of the cathedral, smashing through the floor with its enormous weight and damaging large parts of the Hohenzollern Crypt and some of its coffins below. By the end of World War II, twenty-five percent of the Berlin Cathedral had been destroyed.

The damaged sarcophagus of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia; Credit – Von Colin Pelka – Selbst fotografiert, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23256455

After World War II, when Berlin and Germany were divided, the Berlin Cathedral was located in East Berlin in the Communist German Democratic Republic also known as East Germany. The East German government promoted state atheism although some people remained loyal to Christian churches. To protect the interior of the cathedral while the status of the Berlin Cathedral was debated, a temporary roof was built between 1949 – 1953. The Berlin Palace, which had also been damaged, was demolished by the East German government in 1950. Serious consideration was given to also demolishing the Berlin Cathedral. Following lengthy and extensive negotiations, an agreement was finally reached between the government of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the Federation of Protestant Churches in the GDR, and the churches in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), which provided for the reconstruction.

Memorial Church section of the Berlin Cathedral with the Hohenzollern Crypt access in 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

However, the Communist East German government had two demands. First, it demanded the removal of as many crosses as possible. The second demand dealt with the Memorial Church (Denkmalskirch) section on the north side of the Berlin Cathedral that contained the ceremonial sarcophagi (cenotaphs or empty tombs) of Johann Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg, Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg and his wife Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Friedrich I, King in Prussia and his wife Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, and Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia. In the middle of the Memorial Church was the access to the Hohenzollern Crypt. Although the Memorial Church section of the Berlin Cathedral had survived World War II intact, it was demolished by the Communist East German government in 1975 for ideological reasons due to it being a place of honor for the Hohenzollern dynasty. The ceremonial sarcophagi were moved into the Sermon Church (Predigtkirche), the main part of the cathedral.

Rüdiger Hoth, a German civil engineer, was hired as the master builder in 1975. During many meetings with the East German government, Hoth successfully negotiated that the cathedral would be largely reconstructed according to the 1885 designs of Julius Raschdorff.

In 1980, the Baptismal and Matrimonial Church (Tauf- und Traukirche) on the south side of the cathedral was reopened for services. The restoration of the large main part, the Sermon Church (Predigtkirche), in the center, began in 1984. Berlin Cathedral was finally able to be re-consecrated during a celebratory service on June 6, 1993, with the participation of numerous prominent guests in what was now a unified Germany, reunified since October 3, 1990.

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Interior of the Berlin Cathedral

Interior of the Berlin Cathedral; Credit- By Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia – Berliner Dom (HDR), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24306403

In the center of the large dome is a round window showing the Holy Spirit as a dove in a halo. Around the round window are eight large mosaics depicting the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount created by Prussian painter Anton von Werner.

The dome of the Berlin Cathedral; Credit – Von Svein-Magne Tunli – tunliweb.no – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56131113

The main altar comes from the previous cathedral and was the work of Prussian architect Friedrich August Stüler, and consists of a marble table supported by Corinthian columns with a crucifix, and a gilded wooden stand with the statues of the twelve apostles. On both sides of the altar are two large Baroque candelabras. The three paintings above the altar by Anton von Werner depict scenes from the life of Jesus: the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

The main altar: Credit – By Mathew Schwartz – Imported from 500px (archived version) by the Archive Team. (detail page), CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75775034

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The Hohenzollern Crypt

The Hohenzollern Crypt: Credit – By Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany – Hohenzollerngruft I, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63622648

The Hohenzollern Crypt, which occupies almost the entire basement of the Berlin Cathedral, is the most important dynastic burial site in Germany. A total of 94 members of the House of Hohenzollern have been interred there from 1595 – 1873. The sarcophagi and coffins, some simple and some quite elaborate, represent all artistic styles from late Gothic onwards and were made from stone, metal, or textile-covered wood.

Styles of coffins; Credit – By Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia – Berliner Dom Crypt, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24306375

With the expansion of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam near Berlin, the Hohenzollern Crypt fell out of favor as a burial site. Some of the Prussian royals were buried in the Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) as well as elsewhere on the grounds of Sanssouci Palace. Several chose to be buried in a mausoleum at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. The last German Emperor, Wilhelm II, was entombed in a mausoleum built on the grounds of Huis Doorn, his home in exile in the Netherlands, while his two wives were buried at the Antique Temple on the grounds of Sanssouci Palace.

Credit – By Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany – A lot of coffins – Generations.., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63652230

During the reconstruction of the Berlin Cathedral overseen by civil engineer Rüdiger Hoth, who served as the master builder on the project, the Hohenzollern Crypt was refurbished. Hoth said of the crypt, “It was always considered a private family crypt in the time of the kaisers, and commoners were not allowed to come in but today we think it is historically and culturally important to Germans to be in touch with this part of their past.” Refurbished with white marble floors, whitewashed walls, and soft lighting, the Hohenzollern Crypt was opened to the public for the first time ever on November 20, 1999.

A child’s coffin; Credit – By Pudelek (Marcin Szala) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17789259

There had been discussion concerning whether Hohenzollerns buried elsewhere should be moved to the refurbished Hohenzollern Crypt. However, historians and descendants of the Hohenzollerns rejected the idea of moving the remains of Hohenzollerns whose express wishes were to be buried elsewhere. Prince Wilhelm-Karl of Prussia (born 1955), a great-grandson of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia said, “I believe the wishes of the deceased should be respected.” He did find the public gawking at his family’s burial crypt “a little unsettling.” However, he agreed with the head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia (born 1976), the great-great-grandson and heir of Wilhelm II, that the burial site belongs to German history and, therefore, to the general public.

Credit – By Jorge Láscar from Australia – Crypt and intricate sarcophagi – Berliner Dom, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31952300

Those buried in the Hohenzollern Crypt at the Berlin Cathedral:

  • Elisabeth Magdalene of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1537 – 1595), daughter of Joachim II, Elector of Brandenburg and wife of Franz Otto, Duke of of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • Johann Georg, Elector of Brandenburg (1525 – 1598)
  • Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg (1582 – 1600), son Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim of Brandenburg (1583 – 1600), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Augustus of Brandenburg (1580 – 1601), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Catherine of Brandenburg-Küstrin, Electress of Brandenbueg (1549 – 1602), first wife of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst, Electress of Brandenburg (1563 – 1607), wife of Elector Johann Georg, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Eleonore of Prussia, Electress of Brandenburg (1583–1607), second wife Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg (1546 – 1608)
  • Albrecht Christian of Brandenburg (born and died 1609), son of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Ernst of Brandenburg (1583 – 1613), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1613 – 1614), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg (1572 – 1620)
  • Albrecht of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1614 – 1620), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Catharina Sibylla of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (born and died 1615), daughter of of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, granddaughter of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Johann Sigismund of Brandenburg (born and died 1624), son of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim Sigismund of Brandenburg (1603 -1625), son of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Ernst of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1617–1642), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Wilhelm Heinrich of Brandenburg (1648 – 1649), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Anna Sophia of Brandenburg (1598 – 1659), daughter of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, wife of Friedrich Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Electress of Brandenburg (1597 – 1660), wife of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Heinrich of Brandenburg (born and died 1664), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Amalia of Brandenburg (1664 – 1665), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Katharina Sofie of the Palatinate (1594 – 1665), daughter of Friedrich IV, Elector Palatine, sister of Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Electress of Brandenburg
  • Luise Henriette of Nassau, Electress of Brandenburg (1627–1667), first wife of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Karl Emil, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg (1655 – 1674), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Dorothea of Brandenburg (1675 – 1676), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel, Electoral Princess of Brandenburg (1661 – 1683), first wife of the future Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Friedrich August of Brandenbrg (1685 – 1686), son of the future Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Ludwig of Brandenburg (1666 – 1687), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg (1620 – 1688)
  • Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Electress of Brandenburg (1636 – 1689), second wife of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Karl Philipp of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1673 – 1695), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1700 – 1701), daughter of Philipp Wilhelm, Margarve of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Georg Wilhelm von Brandenburg-Schwedt (born and died 1704), son of Philipp Wilhelm, Margarve of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, Queen in Prussia (1668 – 1705), second wife of Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Friedrich of of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1704 – 1707), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Ludwig of Prussia (1707 – 1708), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (1710 – 1711), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Philipp Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1669 – 1711), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich I, King in Prussia (1657 – 1713)
  • Charlotte Albertine of Prussia (1713 – 1714), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig of Prussia (1717 – 1719), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Luise Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1709 – 1726), daughter of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1672 – 1731), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1677 – 1734), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1710 – 1741), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1715 – 1744), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Sophie Dorothea of Hanover, Queen of Prussia (1687 – 1757), wife of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, daughter of King George I of Great Britain
  • August Wilhelm of Prussia (1722 – 1758), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Emil of Prussia (1758 – 1759), son of August Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Karl Friedrich Albrecht of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1705 – 1762), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Heinrich of Prussia (1747 – 1767), son of August Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Christine of Prussia (1772 – 1773), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Friederike Elisabeth of Prussia (1761 – 1773), daughter of August Ferdinand of Prussia, granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Heinrich of Prussia (1769 – 1773), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Paul of Prussia (born and died 1776), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Luise Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess of Prussia (1722 – 1780), wife of August Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Anna Amalia of Prussia, Abbess of Quedlinburg (1723 – 1787), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig of Prussia (1771 – 1790), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Unnamed Princess of Prussia (born and died 1794), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia (1773 – 1796), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia (1744 – 1797)
  • Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern, Queen of Prussia (1715 – 1797), wife of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia
  • Karl Georg of Prussia (1795 – 1798), son of Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (1745 – 1800), wife of Landgrave Friedrich II of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Friederike of Prussia (1799 – 1800), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia (1751 – 1805), second wife of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia (1772 – 1806), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ferdinand of Prussia (1804 – 1806), son of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Ferdinand of Hesse-Kassel (born and died 1806), son of Wilhelm of Landgrave Hesse-Kassel, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Unnamed Prince (born and died 1806), son of Prince Willem of Orange-Nassau (later King Willem I of the Netherlands) and Wilhelmine of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel, Princess of Prussia (1726 – 1808), wife of Heinrich of Prussia
  • August Ferdinand of Prussia (1730 – 1813), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelm of Prussia (1811 – 1813), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Tassilo of Prussia (1813 – 1814), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Anna Elisabeth Luise of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1738 – 1820), wife August Ferdinand of Prussia
  • Unnamed Prince (born and died 1832), son of Prince Albrecht of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Augustus of Prussia (1779 – 1843), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Heinrich Karl of Prussia (1781 – 1846), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Maria Anna Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, Princess of Prussia (1785 – 1846), wife of Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Waldemar of Prussia (1817 – 1849), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelm of Prussia (1783 – 1851), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Anna of Prussia (born and died 1858), daughter of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, great-granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Adalbert of Prussia (1811–1873), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

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Works Cited

  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. GDR period and reconstruction | Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/visiting/about-the-cathedral/gdr-period-and-reconstruction/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. The ‘Hohenzollern’ crypt | Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/visiting/about-the-cathedral/the-hohenzollern-crypt/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berliner Dom – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Dom> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berliner Dom – Hohenzollerngruft – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Dom#Hohenzollerngruft> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berlin Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Cathedral> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Prussia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-prussia/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Unofficial Royalty. 2015. Kingdom of Prussia Index. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/current-monarchies-article-index/german-royals-index/prussian-index/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Williams, Carol, 1999. Germany’s Royals Getting Belated Respect. [online] Los Angeles Times. Available at: <https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-24-mn-47041-story.html> [Accessed 5 March 2022].

Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Theatinekirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church located in Munich in the German state of Bavaria. The church was founded by Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (reigned 1651 to 1679) and his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, in gratitude for the birth of a long-awaited male heir. Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide had married in 1650. Henriette Adelaide had a daughter in 1660, a stillbirth in 1661, and finally gave birth to a male heir, the future Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, in 1662, twelve years after her marriage.

The Theatinekirche has two patron saints. Gaetano dei Conti di Thiene (1480 – 1547), known as Saint Cajetan, was an Italian Catholic priest and co-founder of the Theatine Order and was canonized as a saint in 1671. Saint Adelaide (Adelheid) of Italy (931 – 999) (also known as Saint Adelaide of Burgundy) was the wife of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. Adelaide was devoted to charitable work and supported the founding of monasteries. Because of her charity, Adelaide was widely revered after her death and was canonized in 1097.

Italian architect Agostino Barelli introduced Italian Baroque architecture to Bavaria with his design for the Theatinekirche. The design was modeled after the mother church of the Theatine Order, Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome. Construction began in 1663. Barelli completed the shell of the church and left Munich in 1674 because of arguments with the site manager Antonio Spinelli and Henriette Adelaide’s confessor. The incomplete church was consecrated in 1675. Barelli’s successor as the chief architect of the Bavarian court, Enrico Zuccalli, actually Johann Heinrich Zuccalli, a Swiss architect, added the two towers which were not in the original plans, from 1684 -1692. The interior was completed in 1688 and the dome in 1690. For a long time, the outer facade of the Theatinerkirche remained unfinished. Despite many discussions, no agreement was reached. Finally, in 1765, the Bavarian court architect François de Cuvilliés the Elder designed a facade in the Rococo style which his son François de Cuvilliés the Younger completed.

During World War II, the Theatinekirche was bombed four times by the Allied Forces and suffered great damage. An altarpiece by Italian painter Antonio Zanchi was destroyed, along with the choir (the area between the nave and the sanctuary), the altar, and the south chapel. Reconstruction began in 1946 and was completed enough by 1955 to allow church services to resume.

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Interior of the Theatinekirche

Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Stucco Decorations

Stucco decorations; Credit – By marsupium photography – https://www.flickr.com/photos/hagdorned/10382855675/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57528584

The interior of the Theatinekirche is richly decorated with stucco in the Baroque and Rococo styles with Corinthian columns decorated with acanthus leaves, ornaments, and religious figures.

The Pulpit

The pulpit; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189862

The 1686 black oak pulpit is the work of Austrian sculptor Andreas Faistenberger (link in German).

The High Altar

The high altar; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189854

Before the World War II bombing, over the high altar hung a 1675 painting (below) by Italian painter Antonio Zanchi that depicted the patron saints of the church St. Cajetan and St. Adelaide, the founders of the church Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy with their children, and two pages holding a model of the Theatinekirche. Sadly, the painting was destroyed during a bombing in 1944.

A draft of Antonio Zanchi’s destroyed painting: Credit – Wikipedia

The high altar now contains a 1646 painting (below) by Flemish painter Gaspar de Crayer showing an enthroned Mary holding the infant Jesus surrounded by saints.

Gaspar de Crayer’s painting; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189858

Statues of the Four Evangelists

The statues of the four evangelists on the high altar can be seen in this photo; Credit – Von © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189657

In 1722, Bavarian sculptor Balthasar Ableithner (link in German) created the larger-than-life statues of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which were placed around the high altar. Only the statues of Mark and John survived the World War II bombing intact. The statue of Luke was able to be reconstructed. A new statue of Matthew was created by Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ducrot and placed on the altar in 2017.

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July 11, 2011: Requiem Mass for Otto von Habsburg

 

Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of Austria and later in his long life, a member of the European Parliament, was the eldest and the longest surviving of the eight children of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria and his wife Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Otto and his wife Regina of Saxe-Meiningen lived at Villa Austria in Pöcking, Bavaria, Germany, and Otto died there on July 4, 2011, aged 98. Multiple requiem masses were celebrated for Otto von Habsburg including one at the Theatinekirche in Munich, in Bavaria, Germany.

On July 11, 2011, a requiem mass was celebrated in the Theatinekirche by Cardinal Reinhard Marx and his predecessor Cardinal Friedrich Wetter. Munich’s Chief Rabbi Steven Langnas recited a Jewish funeral prayer. At the end of the requiem mass, the “Kaiserhymne” (Emperor’s Hymn), the old Austrian imperial anthem, was sung.

The requiem mass was screened on big screens at the Odeonsplatz, the large square in front of the Theatine Church, and was broadcast by Bavarian Television. Following the requiem mass, the Prime Minister of Bavaria Horst Seehofer hosted a reception for 700 invited guests in the Kaisersaal of the Munich Residenz, the former royal palace of the Wittelsbachs. Among the royalty and nobility attending the requiem mass and reception were Otto von Habsburg’s seven children: Andrea von Habsburg (born 1953), Monika von Habsburg (born 1954, twin of Michaela), Michaela von Habsburg (born 1954, twin of Monika), Gabriela von Habsburg (born 1956), Walburga von Habsburg (born 1958), Karl von Habsburg (born 1961), and Georg von Habsburg (born 1964). Also attending were members of the House of Wittelsbach – Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria and his wife Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria – and Gloria, Princess Dowager of Thurn and Taxis.

On July 16, 2011, following a requiem mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, Otto was interred in the Crypt Chapel of the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, the traditional burial site of the House of Habsburg. His mother Zita of Bourbon-Parma was interred in the Crypt Chapel in 1989. At the time of his burial, Otto’s wife Regina who died in 2010, was also interred in the Crypt Chapel.

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Royal Burials

Coffins in the Princely Crypt of the Theatinekirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Besides the Theatinerkirche, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have been interred at the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church in Munich, and Andechs Abbey in Andechs. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach private family cemetery near Andechs Abbey due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

The Theatine Church has two burial areas.

The side chapel with the tombs of Maximilian II, King of Bavaria (on left) and Marie Friederike of Prussia, Queen of Bavaria (on right); Credit – By User:Mattes – Self-photographed, CC BY 2.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40079208

Interred in stone sarcophagi in a side chapel of the main nave:

Sign for the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

When I visited the Theatinekirche, my husband did not want to pay the two euros admission to the Princely Crypt, and so I went into the crypt alone – just me and 47 coffins of members of the House of Wittelsbach – no one else was there. Being alone was a fairly creepy experience. I looked around, took photos, and exited quickly!

A view of the dark and creepy (if you are alone!) Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Interred in the Princely Crypt:

  • Luise Margarete Antonie of Bavaria (1663 – 1665) – daughter of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Ludwig Amadeus Viktor of Bavaria (born and died 1665) – son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Stillborn son (1666) – son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Kajetan Maria Franz of Bavaria (born and died 1670) – son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, Electress of Bavaria (1636 – 1676) – wife of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (1636 – 1679)
  • Leopold Ferdinand of Bavaria (born and died 1689) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Anton of Bavaria (born and died 1690) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Wilhelm of Bavaria (1701 – 1704) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Alois of Bavaria (1702 – 1705) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximilian Emanuel Thomas (1704 – 1709) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximiliana Maria of Bavaria (born and died 1723) – daughter of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (1662 – 1726)
  • Therese Kunigunde of Poland, Electress of Bavaria (1676 – 1730) – 2nd wife of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Josef Ludwig of Bavaria (1728 – 1733) – son of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximilian Joseph Franz of Bavaria (1720 – 1738) – son of Ferdinand Maria Innocenz of Bavaria and grandson of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Ferdinand Maria Innozenz of Bavaria (1699 – 1738) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria (1697 – 1745)
  • Maria of Bavaria (born and died 1748)
  • Unnamed prince (born and died 1753)
  • Maria Anna of Bavaria (born and died 1754)
  • Unnamed prince (born and died 1755)
  • Maria Amalia of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (1701 – 1756) – wife of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor
  • Clemens Franz de Paula of Bavaria (1722 – 1770) – son of Ferdinand Maria Innocenz of Bavaria and grandson of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maria Anna of Bavaria, Margravine of Baden-Baden (1734 – 1776) – daughter of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, wife of Ludwig Georg, Margrave of Baden-Baden
  • Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria (1727 – 1777)
  • Maria Anna of Pfalz-Sulzbach, Princess of Bavaria (1722 – 1790), wife of Clemens Franz de Paula of Bavaria
  • Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony, Electress of Bavaria (1728 – 1797) – wife of Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria
  • Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria (1724 – 1799)
  • Maximilian Joseph Karl Friedrich of Bavaria (1800 – 1803) – son of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria
  • Maximiliana Josephe Karoline of Bavaria (1810 – 1821) – daughter of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria

Tombs of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria and his 2nd wife Caroline of Baden, Queen of Bavaria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Theatinerkirche (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatinerkirche_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Death and Funeral of Otto von Habsburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_funeral_of_Otto_von_Habsburg> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Theatine Church, Munich – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatine_Church,_Munich> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-bavaria/> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • Theatinerkirche.de. 2022. Theatinerkirche München. [online] Available at: <http://www.theatinerkirche.de/> [Accessed 6 January 2022].

Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Michaelskirche in Munich; Credit – By Andrew Bossi – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2918246

Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church located in Munich in the German state of Bavaria. The patron of the church is Saint Michael the Archangel. In 1556, Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria granted the Jesuit Order permission to establish a school in Munich which is still in existence and known as the Wilhelmsgymnasium. A church was to be built in conjunction with the founding of the Jesuit school. However, the school and the church did not get beyond the planning stage during Albrecht V’s lifetime.

Neuhauser Street and Michaelskirche, 1830s; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, the school and church were built during the reign of Albrecht V’s son and successor Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria, hence the name of the school, Wilhelmsgymnasium. Wilhelm V had received a Jesuit education and was a strong supporter of the Counter-Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church’s reaction to the Protestant Reformation. The Michaelskirche, built in the Renaissance architectural style, and the school built from 1583 – 1597 were spiritual centers of the Counter-Reformation. With the abolition of the Jesuit order in 1773, Michaelskirche and Wilhelmsgymnasium came into the possession of the House of Wittelsbach. After the end of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1918, the church passed into the possession of the State of Bavaria. In 1921, the pastoral care of Michaelskirche returned to the Jesuit Order.

After the severe damage caused by bombings during World War II, Michaelskirche was renovated and then rededicated at Pentecost in 1953. Most recently, the interior was renovated from 1980 – 1983 for the 400th anniversary. From 2009 to 2013, the facade including the statues was renovated.

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The Facade of Michaelskirche

The facade of Michaelskirche; Credit – Credit – By Luidger – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=718322

The large, impressive facade of Michaelskirche has bronze statues of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria and earlier rulers of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach in the form of a family tree. A large bronze statue between the two entrances shows Saint Michael the Archangel battling Lucifer. The statue was made by Dutch sculptor Hubert Gerhard.

Saint Michael the Archangel vanquishing Lucifer; Credit – By pingnews.com – Sculpture in Munich, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97462767

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The Interior of Michaelkirche

The interior of Michaelskirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The main altarpiece has a painting of Saint Michael the Archangel fighting Lucifer by Bavarian painter Christoph Schwarz.

The main altar; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The church contains the 1830 monument by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen to Eugène de Beauharnais who is interred in the crypt. Eugène was the son of Josephine de Beauharnais, Napoleon Bonaparte’s first wife, and her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais, who was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. Eugène de Beauharnais marrried Princess Auguste of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, and was created Duke of Leuchtenberg.

The monument by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen to Eugène de Beauharnais; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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The Princely Crypt

Sign with a photo of King Ludwig II at the entrance to the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The House of Wittelsbach ruled as Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Bavaria from 1180 until 1918. A princely crypt was in the original plans of Michaelskirche. Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria was buried in the crypt at his request, as was his son Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria.

Stairs down to the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The best-known Bavarian ruler interred at Michaelskirche is Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, the builder of Neuschwanstein Castle who died in 1886 under mysterious circumstances. Ludwig’s brother Otto, King of Bavaria is also interred at Michaelskirche.

Tomb of Ludwig II, King of Bavaria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Besides Michaelskirche, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have been interred at the Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan) in Munich, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, and the Andechs Abbey in Andechs. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach private family cemetery near Andechs Abbey due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

The following members of the House of Wittelsbach are interred in the crypt:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. St. Michael (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. St. Michael’s Church, Munich – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael%27s_Church,_Munich> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-bavaria/> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • St-michael-muenchen.de. 2022. St. Michael – die Jesuitenkirche in der Münchner Innenstadt. [online] Available at: <https://www.st-michael-muenchen.de/index.php> [Accessed 28 February 2022].

Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Frauenkirche in Munich, Bavaria, Germany; By Diliff – CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5825439

The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) also called Münchner Dom (Munich Cathedral), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church and the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Munich located in Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria.

Frauenkirche in 1870 looking toward the main altar; Credit – Wikipedia

In the 12th century, a Romanesque church was built on the site replacing an earlier church. This new church served as a second parish in Munich following the older Alter Peter Church. A new late Gothic cathedral commissioned by Sigismund, Archduke of Austria and the people of Munich, was erected in the 15th century. The cathedral was built from 1468 – 1488 by bricklayer and architect Jörg von Halsbach. Red brick was chosen as the building material for financial reasons and because there was no nearby rock quarry. The cathedral was consecrated In 1494 but the towers were not completed until 1525.

Frauenkirche in ruins after World War II. The steps led to the main altar; Credit – https://www.muenchner-dom.de/die-kathedrale/geschichte/baugeschichte/

The Frauenkirche was severely damaged by the Allied Forces’ bombing raids during World War II. The roof collapsed, one of the towers was damaged, and much of the interior was destroyed. A major restoration was required and continued until 1994.

Interior of the restored Frauenkirche looking towards the main altar; Credit – By Chabe01 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64107752

From 1971 – 1972 the main altar area was redesigned according to the reforms and specifications of the Second Vatican Council. From 1989 – 1994, the interior decorations of the original architect Jörg von Halsbach and the oak choir stalls with the sculptures of the original sculptor Erasmus Grasser were reconstructed and new altarpieces were created. Artwork from notable 14th to 18th-century artists like Peter Candid, Erasmus Grasser, Jan Polack, Hans Leinberger, Hans Krumpper, and Ignaz Günther replaced the artwork destroyed in the World War II bombing raids.

The main altar; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62161379

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Cenotaph of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor

The Cenotaph of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

A cenotaph, an empty tomb erected in honor of a person whose remains are elsewhere, for Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor who died in 1347, stands in the south aisle. The remains of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor are interred in the Frauenkirche crypt. The cenotaph was the work of sculptor Hans Krumpper (circa 1570 – 1634) who was the chief sculptor to the Bavarian court during the reigns of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria and Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria.  During the World War II-related restoration of the Frauenkirche in the 1980s, the cenotaph was restored with financial help from the Messerschmitt Foundation whose primary goal is the preservation and maintenance of German cultural monuments.

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The Crypt

The 1971 crypt in the Frauenkirche; Credit – By User: Bbb at wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22660042

The crypt we see today was created in 1971 when a larger crypt with exposed brick walls and a concrete beam ceiling was built during World War II-related reconstruction. The coffins of members of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach were then transferred to new wall niches with grave markers. The House of Wittelsbach ruled as Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Bavaria from 1180 until 1918.

Besides the Frauenkirche, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have mostly been interred at the Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St Cajetan) in Munich and Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich, and the Andechs Monastery in Andechs. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach family cemetery near Andechs Abbey due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

Burial site of some members of the House of Wittelsbach; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62160767

The following members of the House of Wittelsbach are interred in the crypt:

Burial site of Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria, his wife and five of their children; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frauenkirche (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frauenkirche_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Munich Frauenkirche – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Frauenkirche> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • Muenchner-dom.de. 2021. Der Münchner Dom: Baugeschichte. [online] Available at: <https://www.muenchner-dom.de/die-kathedrale/geschichte/baugeschichte/> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • Muenchner-dom.de. 2021. Der Münchner Dom: Home. [online] Available at: <https://www.muenchner-dom.de/> [Accessed 29 December 2021].

Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia was the first wife of the future Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg. Born on May 26, 1826, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Elizabeth was the second of the five daughters of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg (Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna). Her paternal grandparents were Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia). Elizabeth’s maternal grandparents were Prince Paul of Württemberg and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Elizabeth was named in honor of Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna of Russia (born Louise of Baden), the wife of her uncle Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna had died ten days before Elizabeth’s birth and was a close friend of Elizabeth’s mother.

Elizabeth had four sisters:

Mikhailovsky Palace in the nineteenth century with Mikhailovsky Square in the foreground; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth grew up at the Mikhailovsky Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her mother closely supervised the education of her three surviving daughters. Their father Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich had a military career and he taught his daughters parade and military maneuvers, claiming that any of them would have been able to command a cavalry regiment.

In 1843, Adolphe, then the sovereign duke of the Duchy of Nassau, visited St. Petersburg, Russia for the first time and met Elizabeth. Adolphe’s stepmother Princess Pauline of Württemberg was Elizabeth’s maternal aunt. It was love at first sight and Adolphe and Elizabeth became betrothed. On January 31, 1844, 17-year-old Elizabeth married 26-year-old Adolphe in St. Petersburg. The newlyweds remained in Russia for a while before traveling to the Duchy of Nassau where they lived at Biebrich Castle in Wiesbaden, now in the German state of Hesse.

Elizabeth, now Duchess of Nassau, was happily married and very popular with the people of the Duchy of Nassau. The couple was delighted when Elizabeth soon became pregnant with their first child, but the happiness did not last. On January 28, 1845, at Biebrich Castle, after a very difficult labor, 18-year-old Elizabeth died giving birth to a daughter who did not survive the birth.

Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth; Credit – By Velvet – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92972063

With the blessing of Elizabeth’s uncle Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, the grief-stricken Adolphe used Elizabeth’s dowry to build the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth in Wiesbaden. Adolphe sent his court architect Philipp Hoffmann to Russia to study the architecture of Russian Orthodox churches. The location of the church on a hill was chosen by Adolphe himself so that he could always have a view of the church from his residence. The church was built from 1847 – 1855, and on May 25, 1855, it was dedicated to Saint Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and Elizabeth’s patron saint. Shortly afterward, the coffin containing the remains of Elizabeth and her daughter was taken in a procession from St. Bonifatius Roman Catholic Church, its temporary burial place, to the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth where it was interred in the crypt.

Tomb of Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau; Credit – By Altera levatur – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69833581

The Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth in Wiesbaden, now in the German state of Hesse, has two other royal burials. Two of the four children of Elizabeth’s first cousin Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and his mistress and later his morganatic second wife Catherine Dolgorukov, Princess Yurievskaya are buried there: Prince George Alexandrovich Yurievsky (1872 – 1913) and Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yurievskaya (1874 – 1925).

In 1851, Adolphe married for a second time to Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children, but only two lived to adulthood including his successor Wilhelm (Guillaume) IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.  Since 1839. the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg had been united with the Netherlands and the King of the Netherlands was also the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. This rule continued until the death of King Willem III of the Netherlands in 1890. His successor was his daughter Wilhelmina, who could not inherit the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg due to the Salic Law which prevented female succession. Through the Nassau Family Pact,  Adolph became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1890.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Elisabeth Michailowna Romanowa – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Michailowna_Romanowa> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Elizabeth_Mikhailovna_of_Russia> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St. Elizabeth’s Church, Wiesbaden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elizabeth%27s_Church_(Wiesbaden)> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/grand-duke-adolphe-of-luxembourg/> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2021. Élisabeth Mikhaïlovna de Russie — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lisabeth_Mikha%C3%AFlovna_de_Russie> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Елизавета Михайловна — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0> [Accessed 23 December 2021].