St. Hedwig's Cathedral
St. Hedwig's Cathedral is Berlin's main Roman Catholic church. Located on Bebelplatz in the historic Mitte district, King Frederick the Great ordered its construction between 1747 and 1773, modeled after the Pantheon in Rome.
Damaged during the Allied bombing in World War II, the cathedral's interior was restored from 1952 to 1963 in post-war modernist style as part of the rebuilding of the Forum Fridericianum on Bebelplatz.
The cathedral closed for major renovations on 1 September 2018. Following an extensive closure starting in 2018, the cathedral reopened on November 24, 2024, featuring an updated minimalist interior. A focal point of the renovations is a hemispherical altar composed of small stones from around the diocese collected by parishioners, based on an idea proposed by Austrian artist Leo Zogmayer.
The Crypt:
Houses the lower church and memorials, including the sarcophagus of Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg, a Catholic priest who resisted the Nazi regime. He was the cathedral's dean during the National Socialist regime. He famously opposed Nazi ideology and used his platform to publicly pray for Jews and other persecuted groups following the Kristallnacht pogroms in 1938. He was arrested by the Gestapo and died in 1943 while being transferred to the Dachau concentration camp.
This specific display is part of the famous Neapolitan Nativity Scene belonging to St. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin. The oldest figures in this historic collection date back to the second half of the 18th century. After undergoing a meticulous multi-year restoration process to repair decades of historical wear and tear, the beloved crèche figures returned to a permanent, specially designed display showcase in the cathedral following its grand architectural reopening.
The contemporary wall installation is titled "Crossfit" (sometimes stylized as a Net of Salvation). Created by artist Bishop Hermann Glettler of Innsbruck, Austria, it is one of the most prominent newly added modern art installations gracing the walls of St. Hedwig's Cathedral following its complete renovation. The large-scale, crescent-shaped installation spans across a major wall in the cathedral. It is composed entirely of hundreds of metal crucifix corpuses (the figures of Christ). The artist intentionally collected these metal figures after they were discarded or removed from historical coffins that were prepared for cremation. By linking the figures together hand-to-hand and foot-to-foot, they weave together a dynamic, collective net pattern. The artwork is intended to be a visual metaphor for a "net of salvation," symbolizing how individual human suffering, fragility, and mortality are bound together and ultimately caught by divine grace.
A beautiful church that is worth a visit. It was so peaceful, and the minimalist interior was a surprise compared to the outside.
This was a part of a self-guided walking tour that I found whilst researching for our visit to Berlin from which I shall write my blogs sharing my photos.
Thanks as always for taking the time to read.
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