Mater Dolorosa, Parish church in Lankwitz, Germany.
Mater Dolorosa is a Roman Catholic church at the corner of Kurfürstenstraße and Kiesstraße in western Lankwitz, Berlin. Architects Christoph Hehl and Carl Kühn designed it as a cruciform basilica with a columned portal and a tower facing Kurfürstenstraße. The nave and choir, originally barrel-vaulted, now have flat ceilings, and the tower's lantern-topped dome was replaced by a pitched roof after 1943.
The church was built under the leadership of Catholic priest Maximilian Beyer and consecrated by Bishop Karl Augustin in 1912. It was created during a period when the Catholic community in this Berlin district was rapidly expanding.
The name refers to Our Lady of Sorrows, Mary at the foot of the cross. The parish keeps its church consecration on the first Sunday in November, the same day as St. Hedwig's Cathedral, consecrated on 1 November 1773. The parish has a mixed choir, a children's choir, a gospel choir and a Gregorian choir, and its 1963 bronze bells are tuned to the opening notes e, g and a of the Gregorian Te Deum.
The church is located about one kilometer southeast of Lichterfelde regional train station and is easily accessible by public transport. Access is straightforward, and visitors should note that regular services are held, so it is wise to check opening times in advance.
The church's columns are made of polished labradorite, a stone that shows iridescent blue flashes. Damaged in the 1943 fire, they were deliberately left matte; only the two columns between the sanctuary and choir, long hidden behind partitions, still show the original polished surface.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,420 contributors worldwide.