The Basilica of St. John the Baptist (german: Basilika St. Johannes der Täufer Patron von Breslau) also called Basilica of St. John the Baptist Patron of Breslavia is the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

cathedral seat of the

Military Ordinariate of Germany The Military Ordinariate of Germany (german: Katholische Militärseelsorge; ''Deutsches Militärordinariat'') is a military ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church. Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Roman Catholi ...

. The church is located in the district of Neukölln in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. The first stone of the basilica was placed in 1894. The architect of the project was August Menken, who had thought of the church as a basilica in the Romanesque style of the Rhine. The solemn inauguration of the church took place on May 8, 1897, in the presence of

Emperor William II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

and Empress Augusta Victoria. On December 3, 1906,

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...

awarded the church the title of the

Minor Basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

. From February 1, 2005, the church became the headquarters of the military regular of the

Federal Government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-gover ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:St. John the Baptist, Church Basilica churches in Germany Roman Catholic churches in Berlin Roman Catholic cathedrals in Germany Roman Catholic churches completed in 1897 Cathedrals of military ordinariates 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Germany

See also

References