At Home in the Land of My Fathers: St. Nicholas' Church and the Berlin Cathedral

Friday morning I decided to visit a few churches, both relatively close to each other. The first was St. Nicholas' Church, the oldest church in Berlin. It was build around 1220, and a number of different buildings have graced the spot as there was need for renovation, replacement from a city fire, etc. The congregation itself no longer exists, since 1938, having merged with the Church of Our Lady (the Marienkirche). This was largely to do residential housing in the area being turned into commercial buildings. The building itself was largely destroyed in WWII: its two tours were devoured in a fire, and the roof collapsed from Allied bombing. It wasn't reconstructed until 1981, when the DDR authorized its rebuilding. So much of what you see is an imitation of what had existed. One note of interest is that Paul Gerhardt, the beloved Lutheran hymnwriter, was a pastor at this parish for a number of years until he was removed by the Elector for not submitting to Reformed theology. After that he lost his wife, having lost a number of his children earlier. He finally took a position in Lübben, where served for eight years. There he died and was buried. I should try to visit his tomb if I can. It's halfway between Berlin and Cottbus. South of Cottbus is where the Wends came from (my mother's side of the family). So we'll see. I'd like to see his tomb. Gerhardt's famous tune writer, Johann Crüger, was the cantor and organist at this church as well.

Paul Gerhardt Johann Crüger

Then, I visited the Berlin Cathedral, which IS "Lutheran." For some reason I was under the impression that it was Roman Catholic, until I saw Lutheran symbols and statues everywhere. Then there was a short service, and the preacher was dressed in a Geneva gown with the preaching tabs. By this point I was sure it was a member of the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD). The building was severely damaged in WWII, as you can see in one of the pictures. Nonetheless, like many of the buildings in Berlin, it was rebuilt in the original style. It was very beautiful, and I got a wonderful view of the city.