The French (Reformed) Church of Friedrichstadt (, , and commonly known as Französischer Dom, meaning 'French cathedral') is in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

at the

Gendarmenmarkt The is a square in Berlin and the site of an architectural ensemble that includes the Berlin concert hall, along with the French and German Churches. In the centre of the square stands a monumental statue of poet Friedrich Schiller. The ...

, across the Konzerthaus and the German Cathedral. The earliest parts of the church date back to 1701, although it was subsequently expanded. After being heavily damaged during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the church was rebuilt and continues to offer church services and concerts.

Name

The church is officially known as the "French Church of

Friedrichstadt Friedrichstadt (; ; ; ; ) is a town in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the river Eider approx. 12 km (7 miles) south of Husum. History The town was founded in 1621 by Dutch settlers. Duk ...

", but is commonly referred to as ''Französischer Dom'', or "French Cathedral". Despite their names, neither of the churches on Gendarmenmarkt is a cathedral, as neither was ever seat of a bishop; instead, the name element ''Dom'' ("cathedral" in German) refers to the French word "dôme" (dome/cupola), using terminology as a relic of francophone

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

, who was instrumental in enhancing Gendarmenmarkt.

History

Louis Cayart and Abraham Quesnay built the first parts of the French Church between 1701 and 1705 for the

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

(

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

) community. During this time, Huguenots constituted about 25 percent of the city population. The French Church was modelled after the destroyed Huguenot temple in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, France. In 1785, Carl von Gontard modified the church and built an adjacent domed tower, which eventually gave the church its name. Technically speaking, the tower is not part of the church, and both buildings have different proprietors. The tower was built to embellish the

ensemble at the instigation of Frederick the Great. The Deutscher Dom, however, on the other side of Gendarmenmarkt, consists of church building and tower as an entity. In 1817, the French Church community, like most Prussian Calvinist

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

and Lutheran congregations joined the common umbrella organization " Evangelical Church in Prussia", with each congregation maintaining its former denomination or adopting the new united denomination. The community of the "French Church of Friedrichstadt" maintained its Calvinist denomination. Nevertheless, already before the union of the Prussian Protestants the congregation underwent a certain acculturation with Lutheran traditions: in 1753, an organ was installed, competing with the Calvinist tradition of congregational singing without accompaniment. The singing of

psalm The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of H ...

s was extended by

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

s in 1791. The sober interior was refurbished in a more decorative but still Calvinist aniconistic style by Otto March in 1905. Today's community is part of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The Französischer Dom was severely damaged during

and rebuilt between 1977 and 1981.Ingrid Bartmann-Kompa, Horst Büttner, Horst Drescher, Joachim Fait, Marina Flügge, Gerda Herrmann, Ilse Schröder, Helmut Spielmann, Christa Stepansky, and Heinrich Trost, ''Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmale in der DDR: Hauptstadt Berlin'': 2 parts, Institut für Denkmalpflege (ed.) (¹1983), Berlin: Henschelverlag Kunst und Gesellschaft, ²1984, part I, p. 218. Today, it is used by its congregations, and for conventions of the

Evangelical Church in Germany The Evangelical Church in Germany (, EKD), also known as the Protestant Church in Germany, is a federation of twenty Lutheranism, Lutheran, Continental Reformed Protestantism, Reformed, and united and uniting churches, United Protestantism in Ger ...

. The public observation deck of the domed tower offers a panoramic view of the downtown area. There is a restaurant in the basement underneath the sanctuary. The tower also contains the Berlin Huguenot museum. File:Temple-protestant-charenton.gif, The Protestant Temple in Charenton before its demolition. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-12097-0007, Berlin, Platz der Akademie, Schauspielhaus, Französischer Dom.jpg, War-destroyed Französischer Dom tower and damaged actual prayer hall with the destroyed Schauspielhaus (left), photo of 4 October 1951. File:Festival of Lights 2012 - Französischer Dom.jpg, Cathedral during Festival of Lights File:Catedral Francesa, Berlín, Alemania, 2016-04-22, DD 16-18 HDR.jpg, View from west, 2016

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Franzosischer Dom Reformed church buildings in Germany Friedrichstadt Church Friedrichstadt Church Friedrichstadt Church Berlin Friedrichstadt Church Friedrichstadt Church Berlin Friedrichstadt Church Huguenot history in Germany Rebuilt churches in Germany