Dresden Cathedral, Catholic cathedral in Innere Altstadt, Dresden, Germany
Dresden Cathedral, the former Catholic Court Church, stands on the Altstadt bank of the Elbe between Schlossplatz and Theaterplatz. Gaetano Chiaveri's baroque design has a broad, tiered lower body with rows of statues along the roofline and a slender central tower in open storeys, capped by a green copper dome. A gilded panel reads "DEO OMNIPOTENTI IN HONOREM SANCTI TRINITATIS".
Gaetano Chiaveri was commissioned in 1736 and built the court church from 1739 to 1755 for Elector Friedrich August II, who became King August III of Poland in 1734. The foundation work was finished by spring 1740, and the church was consecrated on 29 June 1751. Chiaveri left Dresden in 1748 before completion, and Johann Christoph Knöffel altered the organ gallery and royal boxes in Rococo forms.
Since 1743 the court preachers were ex officio Apostolic Vicars of the Saxon hereditary lands, giving the church a role beyond court worship. The monumental altarpiece is by Anton Raphael Mengs, and the Rococo pulpit by Balthasar Permoser. The organ is the last work of Gottfried Silbermann. The building belongs to the Free State of Saxony.
Plan your visit during daytime hours, as opening times begin in the morning and vary depending on the day of the week. It makes sense to check the specific opening times before your visit, as they change throughout the week and services may affect access.
The Founders' Crypt holds the heart of Augustus the Strong, whose body lies in Wawel Cathedral in Kraków; the church was commissioned by his son Augustus III, not by him. Augustus III and Maria Josepha, the last Queen of Poland, are buried here, one of the few Polish kings interred outside Wawel.
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