Kreuzkirche Hannover

The Kreuzkirche is a small, almost hidden gem in the Golden Corner of the old town. It is a branch church of the Marktkirche with a very unique profile. Services and concerts also take place here.

The Kreuzkirche in the idyllic Goldener Winkel in Hanover's old town dates back to 1333 in its current, single-nave form. In 1630, the spire was destroyed in a storm. The merchant and councilor Johann Duve ensured that it was replaced in baroque form in 1653. As a thank you, Duve was allowed to build his own burial chapel on the south side of the choir in 1655 (in the foreground in the wide-angle photo), in which he and his family are also buried.
The church was almost completely destroyed in World War II. Only the walls, roof structure and the Duve Chapel remained. It was rebuilt between 1959 and 1961.

This church, which is dedicated to the Holy Cross (Latin "Santa Croce"), relates its patron saint to the cross on which Jesus Christ died. The veneration of the Holy Cross goes back in large part to Saint Helena, who was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great (who, after his victory at the "Milvian Bridge" outside Rome, recognized Christianity as a religion and in 312 the long time of persecution ended with the Milan “Tolerance Edict”). In the early fourth century she undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Israel / Palestine) and brought numerous relics from there to Europe, including the "True Cross" on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Helena is therefore often depicted with a cross as an attribute. The church celebrates the feast of the discovery of the Holy Cross – called “Exaltation of the Cross” – on September 14th.