BERLIN, DIOCESE OF. — A name of Slavic origin, designating the capital of the German Republic and of the Prussian state. The diocese of the same name was erected by virtue of the concordat between Prussia and the Holy See of 14 June 1929, with the bull *Pastorali Officii* of 13 August 1930, and forms part of the ecclesiastical province of Breslau. In addition to the territory of the city of Berlin, it embraces a large part of the Prussian provinces of Brandenburg and Pomerania, with a total area of approximately 35,000 sq. km., where, among a population of over 5,656,259 inhabitants, there were in 1948 some 611,003 Catholics. There are 232 parishes, served by 350 diocesan priests and 113 regular clergy. At the present time (1949), however, it is impossible to verify these statistical data.
I. HISTORY
In the Middle Ages this territory belonged to the dioceses of Havelberg, Brandenburg, Lebus, and Kammin. After the introduction of Lutheranism, in Pomerania by the ecclesiastical ordinance of Treptow of 1534, and in Brandenburg by the ecclesiastical ordinance of the Elector Joachim II of 1540, Catholicism was almost entirely extinguished. Only in the chapels of the Austrian and French embassies in Berlin, by virtue of extraterritorial privileges, was Catholic worship maintained. Later, King Frederick William I, out of consideration for the numerous Catholic soldiers serving in the Prussian army, erected, at his own expense, churches or chapels first in Berlin (1722), then also in Potsdam, Spandau, and Stettin, entrusting their spiritual care to the Dominicans of the convent of Halberstadt; some of them, such as Fr. Bruns, enjoyed the particular trust of the king. The Catholic community of Berlin obtained parochial rights for the first time after the completion of the church of St Hedwig, built with the help of Frederick the Great, in 1773. The entire territory from 1699 to 1806 was under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Vicar of Lower Saxony, a jurisdiction not yet recognized by the State. Repeated attempts by the kings of Prussia to establish in Berlin a vicariate dependent on the king, for all Catholics of the monarchy, with the aim of practically separating them from Rome, did not succeed.The bull *De salute animarum* of 1821 constituted for the territories of Brandenburg and Pomerania (with the exception of the deaneries of Cottbus, Neuzelle, Schwiebus, Lauenburg, and Bütow, which belonged to the diocese of Breslau) an Apostolic Delegation, entrusting its direction to the Prince-Bishop of Breslau; the temporary provost of St Hedwig in Berlin was designated as his permanent representative. The close union with the large and wealthy diocese of Breslau made possible the ecclesiastical organization of the masses of workers, employees, and merchants who continued to flock to Berlin, which had become an industrial centre, and from 1870 also the capital of the new German Empire. The number of Catholics, which in 1740 barely reached 3,000 and in 1821 still did not exceed 12,000, rose to 51,157 in 1862; in 1887 it amounted to 142,676, of whom 113,617 in the city of Berlin; in 1897 it reached 263,347, among whom in 1898 only 81 priests were at work. It happened that Catholics lived 100 km away from the nearest church, although, year by year, under the energetic impulse of Cardinal Kopp and the Bonifatiusverein, new churches and parishes were springing up. In 1846 the first Catholic religious women entered Berlin, namely the Sisters of St Charles Borromeo from Trier. They were followed by numerous other congregations, whose charitable activity, especially in the 17 hospitals of the city, contributed greatly to the spread of Catholicism. The first convent for religious was founded by the Dominicans in 1869.
When, after the end of the First World War, the number of Catholics reached half a million, Catholic life had become so vigorous and the number of priestly vocations so high as to suggest an autonomous administration of the delegation. The provost of St Hedwig exercised powers roughly equivalent to those of a vicar general, and from 1923 he was also a bishop. When in 1930 the diocese of Berlin was erected, it took as its boundaries those previously maintained by the delegation. At St Hedwig a cathedral chapter was created, composed of a provost and six canons. The first bishop was Msgr Christian Schreiber (1930–33), transferred from the cathedral of Meissen; he was succeeded by Nikolaus Bares, formerly bishop of Hildesheim; since 1935 the see has been held by Count Konrad Preysing, formerly bishop of Eichstätt, created cardinal by Pius XII in the consistory of 20 February 1946.
Sources: M. Lehmann–H. Granier, *Preussen und die katholische Kirche*, 9 vols., Leipzig 1878–1902 (for the period 1648–1807); Ph. Hiltebrant, *Preussen und die römische Kurie*, I, Rome 1910 (stops at 1740).
II. THE MUSEUMS AND THE INSTITUTE OF CHRISTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY IN BERLIN
Important objects of early Christian art are to be found in various places in Berlin, such as the Museum of Antiquities, the Egyptian Museum, the Museum of the Castle, the State Library, and the Institute of Christian Archaeology of the University. The collection of the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum is one of the most complete in the world, because it contains objects from different countries (Italy, Byzantium, Egypt) and periods. Some important pieces, especially early Christian bronzes such as the statuette of St Peter, already derive from the *Kurfürstliche Kunst-Kammer*, purchased with the Bellori Collection in Rome.The first collector of medieval art was King Frederick William IV, who from 1834 onwards had numerous sculptures bought in Italy, especially for the decoration of the churches of Potsdam; such as in 1842 the museum of St Michael in Affricisco from Ravenna. In 1841 he acquired in Berlin the Pajaro Collection with many medieval marbles from Venice. The greatest increase came around 1901–1902 with a large collection of Coptic art, purchased in Egypt. For the inauguration of the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, Wilhelm von Bode, in 1904, gathered these and other objects into a special section for early Christian, Byzantine, and Italian medieval art; Oscar Wulff was then appointed as inspector, the collection was arranged, and a two-volume catalogue was published. Other objects arrived in Berlin from the excavations of Abu Mina, Akhmin-Panopolis, Arsinoopolis, and Antinoopolis. Many architectural fragments were found in the excavations
of Asia Minor or purchased in Constantinople, such as the fragment of a sarcophagus of Psammatica with Christ and the Apostles; in addition to originals, the Museum also gathered, for the convenience of study, plaster casts and many copies of frescoes, which were in danger like those of Lathmos or Macedonia, mostly of the Byzantine period.
With the inauguration of the Pergamon Museum around 1931, it became possible to arrange the collection more effectively in new halls. On this occasion, the Egyptian Museum ceded the excavations of Antinoopolis and Arsinoopolis, along with many Coptic steles, fabrics, bronzes, etc. The Museum of Industrial Art of the Castle also ceded the large painted Coptic fabrics. A hall was added for the art of Greek and Russian icons.
Outside the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, the most important collection of Coptic fabrics is found in the Castle Museum, and a small one in the Schliemann Collection of the Prehistoric Museum. The Prehistoric Museum also houses some Paleo-Christian glassworks, goldsmithing in the Gaus collection, originating from Assiut, and two ivory diptychs. Even in the collection of Gnostic gems of the Egyptian Museum, there are pieces of Christian type. The National Library preserves the diptych of Rufus Probianus and the miniatures of the Quedlinburg Itala.
For students at the university, the small collection of the Institute of Christian Archaeology serves, which contains a lead plate, lamps, and especially plaster casts of ivories. The Institute, with a good library, founded by Ferdinand Piper (1849-55), serves especially the students of Protestant theology. The above refers to the state of the said museum up to the last war, and there is no positive data regarding its current state.
III. Art
1) Local Art. — In Koelln, inhabited mostly by fishermen, the parish church of St. Peter is recorded in 1237, which was rebuilt in 1379. The new Gothic church was destroyed by fire in 1730 and then rebuilt in a barbarous Gothic style. The patron of Berlin was St. Nicholas, to whom the parish church was dedicated, mentioned in a document of 1244. Around 1250, a third church was founded in honor of the Madonna, not far from that of St. Nicholas. A great fire in 1380 destroyed these two churches as well. That of St. Nicholas, rebuilt in brick with Gothic forms, was particularly solemn, also thanks to the notable stained-glass windows. In modern times, two bell towers were added to the base of the tower, which clash with the simplicity of the building. The church of St. Mary is also a Gothic construction: it preserves a beautiful 15th-century baptismal font. Famous is the Dance of Death, a fresco painted between 1460 and 1470, very well preserved. The chapel of St. Gertrude, consecrated in Koelln in 1411 with the annexed hospital, was destroyed in the 19th century. Around 1250, the Franciscans came to Berlin and built their first convent with an attached church. It was the first Gothic church in brick. It still exists today, and since 1576 a higher school has been housed in the monastery, which in its name (Gymnasium zum grauen Kloster) preserves the memory of the friars, of which Bismarck was the most famous pupil. Among the 14th-century buildings, the small Gothic church of the Holy Spirit still exists, which was once the chapel of the homonymous hospital. Of the great commandery of the Templars to the south of the city, which later passed to the Order of St. John after the suppression of the former (1312), Berlin preserves no other memory than the name of Tempelhof for a district and the airport located there. With the Reformation introduced by Elector Joachim II in 1540, all the churches passed to Protestantism, and for two centuries the Catholics did not possess any place of worship. As their numbers grew, under Frederick II the Great (1740-86), a church dedicated to St. Hedwig was built for them (1746), probably according to plans drawn by Jean-Laurent Legeay. It was round, of simple forms, but of very harmonious proportions. The king offered the land and timber, while the rest had to be collected among Catholics from all countries. The construction lasted almost thirty years; it was therefore consecrated with great solemnity in 1773 by the bishop of Ermland. In 1778 it became a parish church. The great king gave the Catholics a second place of worship in the chapel of the military hospital of the invalids, dedicated to St. Sebastian. It served to gather Catholic soldiers and was replaced by a church for healing in the 19th century. Several Catholic churches then arose, mostly built in brick in the Neo-Gothic style characteristic of the second half of the century. Among them are to be remembered St. Sebastian, St. Louis, St. Matthias, St. Boniface, St. Clement Hofbauer; the church of St. Michael, instead, is round and Neoclassical (parish since 1851).2) Artistic Collections. — The State Library possessed a fine collection of medieval codices, including a Gospel of Prüm from the mid-10th century, the Psalter of Louis the German of the same period, and an Epistolary from the school of Reichenau (last quarter of the 10th century). Another rich collection of codices was in the Print Room. Notable are the so-called Gospel of Henry IV (second half of the 12th century), that of the Abdinghof monastery (c. 1060), and the Passio Sanctae Luciae (12th century). The main museums are: the National Gallery dedicated to modern German art, the Old and New Museum, the German Museum, and the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum. All these buildings are located on Museum Island, where the castle is also found, whose oldest parts date back to Margrave Frederick II the Iron (1440-70) and which was the residence of the Hohenzollerns. The collections of Catholic art are found in the last two museums mentioned above. In the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum was arranged a collection that gave an exact idea of the art of painting in Europe from the 13th century until the beginning of the 19th. Among the German works are to be noted several altars from the school of Cologne of the late 14th century, the Adoration of the Magi and the beautiful head of an Apostle by Johann Baldung called Grün (c. 1480-1552), the Rest on the Flight into Egypt, the Nativity of Christ, St. Francis and St. Jerome by Albrecht Altdorfer (1480-1530). There were also the Holy Family, St. Ulrich and St. Barbara by Hans Burgkmair the Elder (1473-1531). Important was the collection of works by Albrecht Dürer (v. BAMBERGA), including the Madonna with the Goldfinch, an Adoring Madonna, the magnificent Portrait of Jerome Holzschuher. Also to be remembered are the Mater Dolorosa by Hans Holbein the Elder (c. 1465-1524) and the Portrait of the Merchant Gisze by his son Hans Holbein the Younger (v. BRASILE). In the last war these treasures were kept in a place presumed safe; it is not possible now (1948) to know the state of the monuments and the location of the works of art. — Vedi Tavv. LXXXV-LXXXVI.