St. Hedwig's Cathedral

St. Hedwig's Cathedral

St. Hedwig's Cathedral (German: Sankt-Hedwigs-Kathedrale) is a Catholic archdiocesan cathedral in Berlin, the capital of Germany, located in Bebelplatz in the city center. The church was built in the 18th century by Prussian King Frederick the Great, modeled after the Parthenon of the Acropolis.

St. Hedwig's Cathedral is named after Saint Hedwig of Andechs, the patron saint of Silesia and Brandenburg, in honor of the Catholic Silesian immigrants who came to Brandenburg and Berlin. Frederick the Great sought to improve relations with the Vatican and recognize the important status of Catholics in Prussia. He personally drafted the design of the current main church, which is Berlin's Roman Catholic cathedral, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome (its interior decoration briefly resembled that of the Pantheon) — or perhaps Frederick the Great was inspired by an upside-down coffee cup when adopting this design.

The church was built between 1747 and 1783 by Knobelsdorff and Johann Boumann, but the large green dome was not completed until the end of the 19th century, drawing attention away from the intricate pediment and massive Ionic columns. For a long time, St. Hedwig's Church was the only Catholic church in this predominantly Protestant city. The church was completely destroyed by fire during the Berlin air raids in 1943 and was rebuilt between 1952 and 1963.

St. Hedwig's Cathedral

Reason to visit: One of Berlin’s most important Catholic cathedrals

Continent: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region: Germany[Germany]

Province/State: Berlin[Berlin]

City: Berlin[Berlin]