St. Clement's Basilica, Hanover

Church in Lower Saxony, Germany

52°22′23″N 9°43′36″E / 52.37306°N 9.72667°E / 52.37306; 9.72667LocationGoethestraße 33
Hanover, Lower SaxonyCountryGermanyDenominationRoman CatholicWebsitewww.st-clemens-hannover.deHistoryStatusBasilicaConsecrated4 November 1718^[1]ArchitectureFunctional statusActiveArchitect(s)Tommaso GiustiGroundbreaking6 July 1712SpecificationsBells4 (north tower)AdministrationProvinceHamburgDioceseHildesheimParishSt. HeinrichLaityOrganist/Director of musicNico Miller

St. Clement's Basilica is the main Roman Catholic church in the city of Hanover. It is dedicated to Saint Clement of Rome. It is part of the parish of St. Heinrich and belongs to the Diocese of Hildesheim.

History

Construction started in 1712, and finished in 1718. This was the first Roman Catholic church to be built in Hanover since the Reformation, when the Kingdom of Hanover became Protestant.

The church was almost totally destroyed during the Allied bombings in 1943 during World War II, as Hanover and other major cities were major targets for strategic bombing in an effort to cripple the Nazi regime.^[1] Reconstruction began in 1946, and the completed church was dedicated on 24 November 1957. On 12 March 1998, Pope John Paul II made the church a Minor Basilica.