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*[[orthpedia:Kathedrale der Hll. Neumärtyrer und Bekenner Russlands (München, Deutschland)|Orthpedia entry]] (in German) ==External Links==*[http://usarmygermany.com/Sont.htm?http&&&usarmygermany.com/USAREUR_City_Munich.htm Map of McGraw Kaserne, Munich, 1980s] The chapel which would later be this church is #32*[http://www.stnicholascenter.org/galleries/gazetteer/3906/ St. Nicholas Chapel] St. Nicholas Center site*[http://www.katjasdacha.com/whiterose White Rose information site]
→The Search for Home: slight clarification
The '''Cathedral of the Holy New-Martyrs and Confessors of Russia''' (German - Kathedrale der Hll. Neumärtyrer und Bekenner Russlands/Russian - Кафедральный собор Святых Новомучеников и Исповедников Российских) is a cathedral parish of the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia]] diocese of Berlin, Germany, and Great Britain and is located in Munich, Germany. This parish was formerly known as St. [[Nicholas of Myra|Nicholas]], and in honor of this, the chapel attached on the north side of the current building is named the Chapel of St. Nicholas.
This parish was very active - with 636 members on paper - there was a parish school, a sisterhood, a mission committee, and a regular newsletter. Services were held in an empty building belonging to a Protestant church at Denningerstrasse 5. As World War II continued on, the parish also worked to serve the many prisoners of war and displaced people around Munich. The Salvatorkirche had been closed once Germany invaded Greece in 1941, but was opened again in 1943 under the auspices of ROCOR, which had been recognized as a church in Germany since 1936. (The parish was returned to the Greek jurisdiction after the war.)
It was during these turbulent war years that a member of the St. Nicholas parish, a 25-year-old medical student by the name of [[Alexander Schmorell]], was executed by the Nazi government for treasonfor his participation in the anti-Nazi resistance group commonly known as the White Rose. (In 2012, he would be glorified as a saint). Fr. Alexander was the priest allowed to hear his last confession and give him Communion for the last time.
The city of Munich was liberated by Allied troops on [[April 30]], 1945, which was Monday of Orthodox Holy Week that year.
By 1957, it was already clear that the city of Munich would like to end the lease and put the building that St. Nicholas was in to other use. For many who had fled the Soviet Union, and seen how churches were reappropriated, the idea that the city wanted to use the building, perhaps for a museum of fashion, was a tough pill to swallow. However, it was agreed to that the city would have to cover the costs of a move. Over the years, many plans were conceived, but, for one reason or another, all fell through. In 1988, one of the more promising plans fell through as the resistance of a political party helped "lose" necessary paperwork, and after the following election, there was no possibility of resurrecting this plan.
In 1981, the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia were glorified as saints, and it was decided that in honor of this that the new church would be named in honor of them. After the plans of 1988 fell through, [[Mark (Arndt) of Berlin|Bishop Mark]] held regular Liturgys Liturgies asking for the intercession of the Blessed Mother and the New Martyrs.
The parish also made visits to the grave of Alexander Schmorell, who is buried in the Perlacher Forst cemetery in Munich. However, as the Stasi archive of material was opened after the reunification of Germanyin 1990, it was discovered that his files - unlike those of the other members of the White Rose - were nowhere to be found.
By the early 1990s, it was clear that the American military presence in Germany would be drastically drawn downsignificantly. An American military base located in Munich , McGraw Kaserne, was one of the bases scheduled to close. On The base was located in the Munich area known as Giesing, and included the basemilitary necessities, one of the campuses of the University of Maryland, housing for soldiers and their families, schools for military dependents, along with venues for shopping and entertainment. As part of this installation, an army church was erected, located the location of which was on Lincolnstrasse, was a church that had been built by the Americans for use on this street which ran along the north side of the housing area, separating the basefrom the Perlacher Forst cemetery. This parish had been guest at this church several times, due in part to warm relations with a Roman Catholic priest by the name of Fr. John Marsh, who worked as a "contract priest" for the US military in Munich. He loved icons, and at times The parish had arranged for well-known icons even been allowed to come to the church on post. He then would invite parishes that he thought would be interested to comehold multiple intercessory Liturgies there. The parish certainly had its eye on this church as a possible place to move, but because the matter was to be dealt with by the Germans rather than the Americans, they felt that they didn't have much of a chance of acquiring it. Fr. Marsh had a particular love for icons, and at times had arranged for well-known icons to come to the church on post. He then would invite parishes that he thought would be interested to come. One of the icons that Fr. Marsh arranged to have come to the church was the [[Panagia Portaitissa|Iveron Mother of God Icon]], accompanied by its caretaker, Brother [[José Muñoz-Cortes]]. While the icon and Brother Jose were there, the parish was allowed to hold an intercessory Liturgy in the church. After the service was over, Brother Jose suggested that they take myrrh that had been streaming from the icon and anoint the walls with this. Once that was done, Brother Jose exclaimed, "Now the church belongs to us!". It would take years yet, but his prophecy would prove to become true.
In 1993, a German researcher found Alexander Schmorell's police files while doing research in Moscow. On account of Schmorell's birth in Russia, his file had been sent there, and was closed to research until the fall of the Soviet Union. The researcher sent a copy of Schmorell's file to the church, knowing it had been his parish. Since it was almost the 50th anniversary of St. Alexander's execution, an article including some of this new information was written for the Orthodox magazine "Die Der Bote", which helped garner wider interest.
Because of this added interest surrounding Alexander Schmorell, new life was breathed into discussions of the purchase of the American church on Lincolnstrasse with the German authorities. At least two offers for the church had previously been made by other religious groups who could offer significantly more money, but both all had fallen through. Finally, in December 1993 the sale of this church and piece of land was finalized. The church itself lies within sight of the grave of Alexander Schmorell , in the "Perlacher Forst" cemetery, which is also the location of a mass grave of some 500 Soviet peopleof that era, both prisoners of war, and forced laborers imported in during the war.
==Recent History==
*[http://sobor.de Official website]
*[http://sobor.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=234%3A-die-russisch-orthodoxe-kathedralkirche-in-muenchen&catid=40%3Ageschichte&Itemid=76&lang=de The Russian Orthodox Cathedral Church in Munich] (in German)
*[http://sobor.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109%3Adie-kapelle-des-hl-nikolaus-an-der-kathedrale&catid=40%3Ageschichte&Itemid=76&lang=de Die Kapelle des hl. Nikolaus an der Kathedrale] (in German)
*[http://www.synod.com/01newstucture/pagesen/news05/munichcons.html On the Consecration of the Chapel of St. Nicholas]
[[Category:Churches|Holy New Martyr]]
[[Category:Churches in Germany|Holy New Martyr]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in Germany|Holy New Martyr]]
