Predecessor Gothic church of the Frauenkirche, Dresden

The Predecessor Gothic church of the Frauenkirche, Dresden was the predecessor building of the now‐famous baroque Frauenkirche designed by George Bähr. It was constructed in the 14th century and, despite its location outside the city walls, remained the mother and principal church of Dresden until the 16th century. The introduction of Protestantism in Saxony in 1539 marked a turning point in the church’s history; worship services were suspended there and held exclusively in the Kreuzkirche (Dresden). Only in 1559 were services resumed in the Frauenkirche, although by then it had been relegated to the status of a village church serving the poorer part of the population. Although the Frauenkirche and its churchyard held special significance as burial sites for the nobility and the higher bourgeoisie, protest arose among the populace when the dilapidated Frauenkirche was slated for demolition at the beginning of the 18th century and its churchyard secularised. Only once the church became imminently unsafe for collapse could planning for a new building under George Bähr proceed. The construction of the baroque Frauenkirche and the concurrent use of the Gothic church initially ran in parallel, before the old Frauenkirche had to be demolished in 1727 in order not to impede progress on the new building. Various fittings from the Gothic Frauenkirche survived, including liturgical vess

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