St. Francis Xaverius (Dresden)
The Catholic Church of St. Franziskus Xaverius (also Catholic Parish Church of Dresden-Neustadt ) was a building in Dresden-Neustadt that suffered considerable fire damage during World War II and was then removed.
Building history, location
The church was built from 1852-1853 to a design by the architect Heinrich Hermann Bothen (1814-1878) and under the direction of the architect Ludwig Theodor Choulant (1827-1900). Bishop Ludwig Forwerk consecrated the building on December 8, 1855.
The land required for the construction was located as an unused area immediately south of Albertplatz in the area of the former Neustadt fortifications at the former Black Gate . Today this location is called Jorge-Gomondai- Platz and is located in the acute angle between Hauptstraße and Albertstraße . The royal state government had made the area available for the construction of the church free of charge. The construction costs are put at 150,000 marks.
The property remained undeveloped after the church was destroyed.
Architecture, equipment
With its two towers, the church, together with the Dreikönigskirche, had a dominant effect on the surrounding cityscape. Its facade was given a Romanesque and Lombard style. The interior of the nave was determined by early Christian and Sicilian Norman shapes and ornaments. The entire structure was 35 meters long and 38 meters wide (front to the main street).
The single-nave church had rooms attached to both sides, which were used by the parish administration and the community school. These additions created a concise cubature of the building. Two tall and square towers on the east gable border the choir niche on both sides. The main portal was on the opposite west side facing the main street. The two columns at the portal were made of Meissen granite , the capital and base were made of white Parian marble . The field above the front door was filled with a tympanum with an image of the Mother of God and her Christ child. The creator of this painting was the Dresden painter and academy professor Ludwig Kriebel (1823–1890). At the top of the portal gable was a figure of Christ by the sculptor Ernst Hähnel .
In the interior, the wall and ceiling surfaces had extensive ornamental and figurative painting. The pulpit and the balustrades of the organ choir and oratorios were richly decorated . The pulpit was flanked by four figures of evangelists . The sound cover over the pulpit bore the figure of the Apostle Paul . These figures were made as copies of older sculptures by Peter Vischer the Elder .
The altar made of white and dark green stone stood in the presbytery, which was raised by six steps . On both sides of the altar were the rooms of the sacristy (left) and the baptistery (right). One of the special features of the church interior was the rich painting on the ceiling and walls. They were designs by the Dresden painter and academy professor Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld . The painting students Zumpe, Sachsse and Kirchbach were involved in the execution. Further works are by Karl Gottlob Schönherr (1824–1906).
local community
After the destruction of their church on Hauptstrasse on 13/14 February 1945 the parish of St. Franziskus Xaverius moved in May of the same year as a new home to the Catholic part of the garrison church of St. Martin in Albertstadt .
literature
- Adolph Canzler , Alfred Hauschild , Ludwig Neumann (arr.): The buildings, technical and industrial plants of Dresden. Meinhold & Sons, Dresden 1878.
- Joachim Liebers: The Catholic parish church of St. Franziskus Xaverius. In: Anette Dubbers, Andreas Berndt (Red.): Lost Churches. Dresden's destroyed churches. Documentation since 1938. Dresden 2008.
- Fritz Löffler : The old Dresden. History of his buildings. Sachsenverlag , Dresden 1955.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 3 ′ 42.5 ″ N , 13 ° 44 ′ 44 ″ E