Hofkirche

Hofkirche is the German language word for "court church", and may refer to:

Dresden

Other cities

See also

Dresden Cathedral

Dresden Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Dresden, previously the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony, called in German Katholische Hofkirche and since 1980 also known as Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis, is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Dresden.

Always the most important Catholic church of the city, it was elevated to the status of cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen in 1964. It is located near the Elbe River in the historic center of Dresden, Germany.

History

The Hofkirche stands as one of Dresden's foremost landmarks. It was designed by architect Gaetano Chiaveri from 1738 to 1751. The church was commissioned by Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland while the Protestant city of Dresden built the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) between 1726 and 1743. The Catholic Elector decided that a Catholic church was needed in order to counterbalance the Protestant Frauenkirche.

In the crypt the heart of King Augustus the Strong is buried along with the last King of Saxony and the remains of 49 other members of the Wettin family, as well as the remains of people who married into the family, such as Princess Maria Carolina of Savoy, wife of Anthony of Saxony.

Opernhaus am Taschenberg

The Opernhaus am Taschenberg (Opera house at the Taschenberg) was a theatre in Dresden, Saxony, Germany, built from 1664 to 1667 by Wolf Caspar von Klengel. It was the first opera house of the capital of Saxony, Residenz of the Elector of Saxony. Seating up to 2000 people, it was at the time one of the largest opera houses in Europe. It was also called Klengelsches Opernhaus (after the architect) and Komödienhaus am Taschenberg (Comedy house at the Taschenberg).

Only 40 years after its opening, it was changed to serve as the first Hofkirche (Court church) for the Elector who had converted to the Catholic Church. When a new church was dedicated in 1751 (the present Dresden Cathedral known as the Hofkirche) the building was used as a Ballhaus (a space for playing real tennis) and an archive. It was demolished in 1888.

Location

The opera house was built adjacent to the Dresden Residenz in the south-west, connected by a corridor. The property to the west was empty until construction of the Zwinger began in 1709.