Russian Orthodox Chapel (Weimar)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Russian Orthodox Chapel at the Historic Cemetery Weimar (view from the west, 2017)

The Russian Orthodox St. Maria Magdalena Church in Weimar was built from 1860 to 1862 as a burial chapel for the Russian Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna . It is located in the historical cemetery in Weimar , directly behind the princely crypt , and is connected to it underground. The coffin of Maria Pavlovna is located directly in the underground connection between the princely crypt and the burial chapel. The coffin of her husband Carl Friedrich is arranged directly next to it. A spiral staircase, now closed by a metal plate, leads from the chapel to this underground connection to the prince's crypt.

history

Behind the coffin of Maria Pavlovna, in front of that of her husband the Grand Duke Carl-Friedrich

Maria Pavlovna had decreed that a Russian Orthodox chapel should be built over her grave after her death . The grave church was built between 1860 and 1862 according to plans by the chief building director Carl Heinrich Ferdinand Streichhan (1814–1884) on behalf of Grand Duke Carl Alexander . Since Maria Pavlovna belonged to the Russian tsarist family and to the Russian Orthodox faith , “the protocol” required that she must be buried in Russian soil. On the other hand, she was also the regent of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach and therefore had to be buried in Weimar. Both conditions could be met by bringing several wagonloads of original Russian soil from the area around Saint Petersburg to Weimar, which were heaped up on a hill in the Weimar cemetery on which the chapel was built. The church was consecrated on November 24, 1862 in the name of Maria Magdalena . During the construction of the burial chapel, a breakthrough was made in the southern wall of the lower vault. The coffin of Maria Pavlovna was placed in this transition area. Only in this way was it possible to also take into account the regent's wish to be buried at the side of her husband and still be able to lie on the consecrated ground of her own Russian Orthodox religion.

The chapel was and is used by the Russian Orthodox community of Weimar for church services and funeral ceremonies. Since the time it was built, regular maintenance work, e.g. B. necessary due to the moisture in the masonry.

In 1953 the chapel came under legal ownership of the National Research and Memorial Centers for Classical German Literature in Weimar (NFG), which carried out further extensive restoration work on the building.

Today the chapel is part of the Weimar Classic Foundation .

literature

  • Russian Orthodox Church in Weimar , parsonage leaflet in German and Russian, around 1980

Web links

Commons : Russian Orthodox Chapel  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 58 ′ 21 ″  N , 11 ° 19 ′ 32 ″  E