The Holiness of Jerusalem as Reflected in its Architecture

Lectures and Discussion

The holiness of Jerusalem is reflected in particular in its impressive sacred buildings. The two destroyed Jewish temples, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are among the oldest and most important buildings of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim architecture.

Past event

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin. The W. M. Blumenthal Academy is marked in green

Where

W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
Klaus Mangold Auditorium
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin (Opposite the Museum)

Where, when, what?

Schwarz-Weiß-Fotografie: Blick auf das ehemalige maghrebnische Viertel vor der Klagemauer in Jerusalem — Jerusalem Old Town with Maghrebi Quarter, approx. 1900, Photography; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-matpc-06075

They bear witness to how much religious architecture draws on its predecessors. While the form of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is based on the ancient Mausoleum, the Muslim shrines on the Temple Mount can be read as a deliberate alternative plan to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The two Jewish temples were also inspired by the sacral architecture of the Ancient Orient.

Lectures and ensuing discussion with Florian Lippke (BIBEL+ORIENT Museum Freiburg, Switzerland), Klaus Bieberstein (Otto Friedrich University, Bamberg) and Jürgen Krüger (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology). Moderator: Cilly Kugelmann, Program Director of the Jewish Museum Berlin (2002-2017).

Klaus Bieberstein

Klaus Bieberstein is a Roman Catholic theologian and professor of Old Testament sciences at the Otto Friedrich University of Bamberg. His research focus is Jerusalem’s history and architecture.

Jürgen Krüger

Jürgen Krüger is art historian and professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He is the author of several monographs, including on the architecture of churches in Jerusalem and Rome.

Florian Lippke

Florian Lippke is theologian, archaeologist, and curator at the BIBLE+ORIENT Museum Freiburg (Switzerland). His research interests are Old Testament exegesis, epigraphy, religious history, and Middle East iconography.

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Where, when, what?

When Thursday 25 April, 7 pm
Where W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
Klaus Mangold Auditorium
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
(Opposite the Museum)
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