02.12.2011

The Cathedral Construction Society handed over a cheque to the cathedral chapter

Hildesheim (bph) Just two-and-a-half years after its establishment, the Hildesheim Cathedral Construction Society has been able to support the restoration of the Episcopal church with the donation of a considerable sum of money. On the occasion of the society’s general meeting chairman Dr. Konrad Deufel handed over to the Dean of the cathedral, Suffragan Bishop emeritus Hans-Georg Koitz, a symbolic cheque for €300,000.

Dr .Konrad Deufel (left) gives the Dean of the Cathedral, Suffragan Bishop emeritus Hans-Georg Koitz, a cheque for the amount of €300,000 towards the restoration of the cathedral; Foto: bph

Enlarge image. This sum is to be dedicated in line with the society’s constitution to the restoration of the Episcopal church of Hildesheim. The money is comprised of donations from local citizens and contributions paid by the society’s members. Various campaigns also ran very successfully. For example, the “timeline” in the cathedral cloister, on which donors were able to reserve particular years from the history of the bishopric, met with a very positive response. The largest share of the €300,000 sum came from bequests to the Cathedral Construction Society.

Suffragan Bishop emeritus Hans-Georg Koitz, who, in his capacity as Dean, is also the principal of the building works, accepted the cheque with great joy and gratitude. “This is one of the more pleasant duties of a Dean," he said with a smile.

By 2015, the 1,200th anniversary of the establishment of the bishopric, the cathedral’s building services should be state of the art, and the interior is to have been given a makeover. Among other things, the cathedral chapter as principal is planning to accentuate the Romanesque ground plan more strongly and to design a mausoleum for the bishops. Furthermore, the former church of St. Anthony (Antoniuskirche) is to play host to the new cathedral museum. The cathedral is scheduled to reopen on August 15th 2014, the day of its dedication to its patron saint.

The Hildesheim Cathedral Construction Society was founded in April 2009. According to its constitution, the purpose of the society is to "support the World Heritage Site of St. Mary’s Cathedral and its cathedral museum with regard to preservation, art history and ecclesiastical concerns.” The bishopric may accordingly expect support, among other things, in the restoration of the cathedral and the care of its artworks. The society currently has around 430 members.