The Kreuzschule (German for "School of the Cross") in Dresden (also known by its Latin name, schola crucis ) is the oldest surviving school in Dresden and one of the oldest in Germany . As early as 1300, a schoolmaster ( Cunradus puerorum rector ) was mentioned. It was founded as a grammar school for the singers of the capella sanctae crucis (Latin for "Chapel of the Holy Cross"), now the Dresdner Kreuzchor . The school is now a Protestant Gymnasium , officially called the Evangelisches Kreuzgymnasium .
12-566: Since its inception, the school has had close ties to the Kreuzkirche (Church of the Cross), formerly known as St. Nicholas Church, that dates at least to 1215. In the Middle Ages , to teach the children in church choirs , church schools proliferated. Schoolmasters were educators (particularly of theology), as well as music teachers. The school was first mentioned in a document of 6 April 1300. In 1388,
24-574: A Baroque reconstruction, which however were opposed by contemporary architects of the Neoclassicist school following Zacharias Longuelune (1669–1748). Prince Francis Xavier of Saxony backed Schmidt and laid the foundation stone in 1764, nevertheless, after the preserved westwork collapsed in 1765, Schmidt had to accept the Neoclassicist chief architect Friedrich August Krubsacius (1718–1789) as adviser. Choir and steeple were accomplished in 1788,
36-637: A more spacious building was constructed at the Georgplatz, close to the Kreuzkirche. It was the first major building in the city to be built in Neogothic style , built after a controversy. This building burned down during the 1945 air raids on Dresden ; it was demolished in 1950. The school was at this period moved to the building of the former Masonic Institute, in the Striesen district of Dresden. From 2007 to 2009,
48-560: The Gothic hall church rebuilt, from 1499 under the architectural direction of Conrad Pflüger . From 1579 until 1584 the westwork was restored in a Renaissance style. The church was heavily damaged by Prussian cannonade during the Seven Years' War , with its Late Gothic choir almost completely destroyed. After the war, the Dresden master builder Johann George Schmidt (1707–1774) set up plans for
60-748: The Holy Cross) is a Lutheran church in Dresden , Germany. It is the main church and seat of the Landesbischof of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony , and the largest church building in the Free State of Saxony . It also is home of the Dresdner Kreuzchor boys' choir. A Romanesque basilica dedicated to Saint Nicholas had existed at the southeastern corner of the Dresden market since
72-461: The architectural works by Peter Parler (1330–1399), the construction later served as a model for numerous church buildings in Upper Saxony such as St. Anne's Church, Annaberg-Buchholz or St. Wolfgang's Church, Schneeberg . Finished about 1447/49, the church burned down in 1491, the first of five blazes over the next centuries. The Wettin electors of Saxony , residing at Dresden since 1464, had
84-656: The building underwent a complete renovation; during that period, the school operated temporarily from the former Erich Wustmann High School in Dresden-Prohlis. Bishop Jochen Bohl officiated at the rededication of the new premises on 10 August 2009. At that time, 850 students were enrolled in the school, 145 of them singers of the Dresdner Kreuzchor . 51°2′50″N 13°48′5″E / 51.04722°N 13.80139°E / 51.04722; 13.80139 Kreuzkirche, Dresden The Dresden Kreuzkirche (Church of
96-459: The church was reconsecrated as ecclesia sanctae crucis (Holy Cross Church) in recognition of its Reliquary , holding what was believed to be a piece of the True Cross . The first school building was erected adjacent to the church in 1393. The school followed the curriculum typical of medieval Latin schools , providing the choir boys preparation for university, as well as providing instruction about
108-458: The natural world. The school converted to Protestantism after the Lutheran reformation of the 16th century. For the next few centuries, the school underwent a slow decline, which, however, was reversed at the beginning of 19th century, with more than 400 students enrolled by the late 1820s. Richard Wagner was a pupil of the school for 5 years from the age of 9 to 14, enrolling in 1821. In 1866,
120-539: The new church was consecrated in 1792 and construction works finished in 1800. After the building was gutted by a fire in 1897, the church interior was reshaped with Art Nouveau ( Jugendstil ) elements according to plans designed by the Dresden architects Schilling & Graebner including works by Hans Hartmann-MacLean . The Church of the Cross was again set on fire during the bombing of Dresden on 13 February 1945. In its current form with its sober scratch coat interior, it
132-585: The twelfth century. A Side-chapel of the Cross, named after a relic bequeathed by the Meissen margravine Constance of Babenberg (1212–1243), was first mentioned in 1319. Over the decades, it became the name of the whole church, which was officially dedicated on 10 June 1388 to the Holy Cross. From 1401 it was rebuilt as a hall church with a prominent westwork in the German Sondergotik style. Based on
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#1732845568949144-796: Was re-opened in 1955. In the course of the reconstruction of the nearby Frauenkirche a debate arose over a restoration of the pre-war design, but from 2000 to 2004, the interior was refurbished in its 1955 condition. The director of the choir is known as the Kreuzkantor . Roderich Kreile is the twenty-eighth Kreuzkantor since the Reformation . Since the Reformation: Conrad Pfl%C3%BCger Conrad or Konrad Pflüger ( c. 1450 in Swabia – probably 1506 or 1507 in Leipzig )
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