St. Clement's Basilica is the main

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church in the city of

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

. It is dedicated to Saint Clement of Rome. It is part of the parish of St. Heinrich and belongs to the

Diocese of Hildesheim The Diocese of Hildesheim () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheims, Ebbo, as bishop. ...

History

Construction started in 1712, and finished in 1718. This was the first Roman Catholic church to be built in Hanover since the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, when the

Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...

became Protestant. The church was almost totally destroyed during the Allied bombings in 1943 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 ...

, as Hanover and other major cities were major targets for

strategic bombing Strategic bombing is a systematically organized and executed military attack from the air which can utilize strategic bombers, long- or medium-range missiles, or nuclear-armed fighter-bomber aircraft to attack targets deemed vital to the enemy' ...

in an effort to cripple the Nazi regime. Reconstruction began in 1946, and the completed church was dedicated on 24 November 1957. On 12 March 1998, Pope John Paul II made the church a

Minor Basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

Notable burials

*Tommaso Giusti ( de), Italian architect who designed St. Clement's

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control

Clement Clement or Clément may refer to: People * Clement (name), a given name and surname * Saint Clement (disambiguation)#People Places * Clément, French Guiana, a town * Clement, Missouri, U.S. * Clement Township, Michigan, U.S. * Clement's P ...

Clemens Clemens is a Late Latin, German, and Dutch masculine given name and a surname, meaning "merciful". Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adelaide Clemens (born 1989), Australian actress * Andrew Clemens (1857–1894), American folk ...

Church buildings with domes Churches in the Diocese of Hildesheim Roman Catholic churches in Lower Saxony