Maria Regina Martyrum
Encyclopedia
Maria Regina Martyrum is the Roman Catholic memorial church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin
in Berlin, borough Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
, in the locality of Charlottenburg-Nord
. The church was built on behalf of the German Catholics to honour the Martyr
s of Freedom of Belief and Conscience from the years 1933–1945. It is located 20 min of walk from the place of execution of Nazi resistants and opponents within the Plötzensee Prison
, now the memorial Gedenkstätte Plötzensee.
laid the cornerstone
, and in 1963 he – together with Alfred Bengsch
, then Catholic bishop of Berlin, and Louis-Marie-Fernand de Bazelaire, then Archbishop of Chambéry in France – consecrated the church. The church also serves as a parochial church for the Catholic St. Joseph parish (Berlin-Spandau).
The campanile
of the church is a landmark at the entrance to the ceremonial courtyard, paved with cobblestone and surrounded by walls covered with slabs of black and grey basalt. The sober interior of the upper church, covered by an even ceiling, impresses with its indirect illumination. The building is regarded an outstanding example of combining church architecture and sculpture.
The low church (crypt), originally a single room, has been divided by a gold-coated wall of concrete. The front part is dedicated solely to the memory of the martyr
s, symbolised by three graves. In the right grave the ashes of Erich Klausener
are reposing, the first martyr of Berlin's Catholic diocese in the Nazi period. The left grave is dedicated to Provost
Bernhard Lichtenberg
, meanwhile resting in Berlin's Cathedral of St. Hedwig's
. The middle, only symbolic, grave commemorates all those martyrs, whom the Nazis denied to have a grave. Carmelite nuns and visitors celebrate services and the former hold canonical hours in the rear room of the crypt.
Since March 2008 the commemorative church, which does not belong to a parish, is headed by a rector of the Jesuites.
is hanging on the long façade of the upper church. Inside on the altar wall there is a monumental fresco by Georg Meistermann. A seated wooden Madonna from southern France, created around 1320, is shown at the altar. In the confession
chapel there is a sculpture of a Man of Sorrows
from southern Germany, around second half of the 15th c. The Bonn
-based organ constructor Johannes Klais created the organ on 5 May 1963.
Crypt: A memorial, graves of martyrs and a bronze Pietà
of Fritz Koenig, which are dominating the room, are located in the middle of the front room of the crypt.
Ceremonial Court: Stations of the Cross
from bronze and an open air altar by Otto Herbert Hajek, composed of two pillars from concrete, are flanking the entrance gate and the campanile. A bronze relief of Johannes Dumanski depicting the Holy Family
at its Flight into Egypt
decks the narrow side of the courtyard.
, the first of its kind in Berlin, which was opened in 1984. It offers room for 24 nuns and provides a public chapel for canonical hours. The erection of the Carmelite convent was facilitated by the episcopal ordinariate. There is a monastery shop too.
, which is also designed as a memorial for the victims of National Socialism. This cooperation is especially dedicated to remember the martyrs of Plötzensee. The most important ecumenical memorial events of these churches are the Ecumenical Plötzensee Days
every January and the annual anniversary of the assassination-attempt of 20 July 1944.
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin
The Archdiocese of Berlin is a Roman Catholic archdiocese, seated in Berlin and covering the northeast of Germany.As of 2004 the archdiocese has 386,279 Catholics out of the population of Berlin, most of Brandenburg and Hither Pomerania, i. e. the German part of Pomerania...
in Berlin, borough Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf is the fourth borough of Berlin, formed in the 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf.-Overview:Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf covers the western centre of the City of Berlin...
, in the locality of Charlottenburg-Nord
Charlottenburg-Nord
Charlottenburg-Nord is a neighborhood in the northern part of the district Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Berlin, Germany. As of 2008 its population was of 17,327...
. The church was built on behalf of the German Catholics to honour the Martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s of Freedom of Belief and Conscience from the years 1933–1945. It is located 20 min of walk from the place of execution of Nazi resistants and opponents within the Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison was a Prussian institution built in Berlin between 1869 and 1879 near the lake Plötzensee, but in the neighbouring borough of Charlottenburg, on Hüttigpfad off Saatwinkler Damm. During Adolf Hitler's time in power from 1933 to 1945, more than 2,500 people were executed at...
, now the memorial Gedenkstätte Plötzensee.
The Church
The episcopal ordinariate of the then Roman Catholic Diocese of Berlin commissioned Friedrich Ebert, Hermann Jünemann and Hans Schädel to build the church. In 1960 Cardinal Julius DöpfnerJulius Döpfner
Julius August Döpfner was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1961 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958.-Early life and ordination:...
laid the cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
, and in 1963 he – together with Alfred Bengsch
Alfred Bengsch
Alfred Bengsch was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Berlin from 1961 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967....
, then Catholic bishop of Berlin, and Louis-Marie-Fernand de Bazelaire, then Archbishop of Chambéry in France – consecrated the church. The church also serves as a parochial church for the Catholic St. Joseph parish (Berlin-Spandau).
The campanile
Campanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
of the church is a landmark at the entrance to the ceremonial courtyard, paved with cobblestone and surrounded by walls covered with slabs of black and grey basalt. The sober interior of the upper church, covered by an even ceiling, impresses with its indirect illumination. The building is regarded an outstanding example of combining church architecture and sculpture.
The low church (crypt), originally a single room, has been divided by a gold-coated wall of concrete. The front part is dedicated solely to the memory of the martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s, symbolised by three graves. In the right grave the ashes of Erich Klausener
Erich Klausener
Erich Klausener was a German Catholic politician who was murdered in the Night of the Long Knives as the Nazis purged their opponents.- Biography :...
are reposing, the first martyr of Berlin's Catholic diocese in the Nazi period. The left grave is dedicated to Provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
Bernhard Lichtenberg
Bernhard Lichtenberg
Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg was a German Roman Catholic priest and theologian, awarded the title righteous among the Nations....
, meanwhile resting in Berlin's Cathedral of St. Hedwig's
St. Hedwig's Cathedral
St. Hedwig's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral on the Bebelplatz in Berlin, Germany. It is the seat of the archbishop of Berlin.It was built in the 18th century as the first Catholic church in Prussia after the Protestant Reformation by permission of King Frederick II...
. The middle, only symbolic, grave commemorates all those martyrs, whom the Nazis denied to have a grave. Carmelite nuns and visitors celebrate services and the former hold canonical hours in the rear room of the crypt.
Since March 2008 the commemorative church, which does not belong to a parish, is headed by a rector of the Jesuites.
Furnishings
Upper church: A tripartite sculpture Apocalyptic Woman by Fritz KoenigFritz Koenig
Fritz Koenig, born June 20, 1924, in Würzburg, Germany, is a sculptor best known outside his native country for "The Sphere," which once stood in the plaza between the two World Trade Center towers in Lower Manhattan but which now stands, its damage deliberately left unrepaired, in Battery Park as...
is hanging on the long façade of the upper church. Inside on the altar wall there is a monumental fresco by Georg Meistermann. A seated wooden Madonna from southern France, created around 1320, is shown at the altar. In the confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
chapel there is a sculpture of a Man of Sorrows
Man of Sorrows
Among the passages in the Hebrew Bible that have been identified by Christians as prefigurations of the Messiah, the Man of Sorrows of Isaiah 53 is paramount - the various theological traditions are discussed at that article...
from southern Germany, around second half of the 15th c. The Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
-based organ constructor Johannes Klais created the organ on 5 May 1963.
Crypt: A memorial, graves of martyrs and a bronze Pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
of Fritz Koenig, which are dominating the room, are located in the middle of the front room of the crypt.
Ceremonial Court: Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
from bronze and an open air altar by Otto Herbert Hajek, composed of two pillars from concrete, are flanking the entrance gate and the campanile. A bronze relief of Johannes Dumanski depicting the Holy Family
Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph.The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the Roman Catholic Church in honor of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his foster father, Saint Joseph, as a family...
at its Flight into Egypt
Flight into Egypt
The flight into Egypt is a biblical event described in the Gospel of Matthew , in which Joseph fled to Egypt with his wife Mary and infant son Jesus after a visit by Magi because they learn that King Herod intends to kill the infants of that area...
decks the narrow side of the courtyard.
The Carmel
Theo Wieland and Klaus Worring built next to the church a Carmelite NunneryCarmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
, the first of its kind in Berlin, which was opened in 1984. It offers room for 24 nuns and provides a public chapel for canonical hours. The erection of the Carmelite convent was facilitated by the episcopal ordinariate. There is a monastery shop too.
Ecumenical Activities
There is a close Ecumenical cooperation with the nearby Protestant Church of PlötzenseeProtestant Church of Plötzensee
The Protestant Church of Plötzensee is situated in Berlin-Charlottenburg and was inaugurated in 1970 as the second church building of the Protestant Congregation in North-Charlottenburg. As it is located close to the former Plötzensee Prison, the church-building was designed as a memorial for the...
, which is also designed as a memorial for the victims of National Socialism. This cooperation is especially dedicated to remember the martyrs of Plötzensee. The most important ecumenical memorial events of these churches are the Ecumenical Plötzensee Days
Ecumenical Plötzensee Days
The Ecumenical Plötzensee Days are an annual event, commemorating martyrs and victims of National Socialism. They take place at the catholic commemoration church Maria Regina Martyrum and at the Protestant Church of Plötzensee....
every January and the annual anniversary of the assassination-attempt of 20 July 1944.