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Resurrection of Our Lord Chapel (Dachau, Bavaria)

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The '''Resurrection of Our Lord Chapel''' (German: Christi-Auferstehungs-Kapelle Dachau, Russian: {{lang-ru|Часовня-памятник Воскресения Христова Дахау}}) is a memorial chapel which stands on the grounds of the former [[w:Dachau concentration camp|Nazi concentration camp of Dachau]]. It was dedicated on [[April 29]], 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the camp by American forces. It falls under the jurisdiction of the [[Church of Russia|Moscow Patriarchate]], [[Diocese of Berlin and Germany (MP)|Diocese of Berlin and Germany]], and shortly after its construction and dedication, a parish - also named [[Resurrection of Our Lord Church (Munich, Bavaria)|Resurrection of Our Lord]] - was founded in nearby Munich. The chapel can be viewed by anyone who visits the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site; however, it is only opened up on certain occasions as needed for services by the parish in Munich.
The most famous of the Orthodox Christian inmate was probably Bishop (now saint) [[Nicholas (Velimirovic) of Žica|Nikolai Velimirovic]], who was imprisoned there from September 1944 until February 1945, when he was "unofficially" released in northern Italy along with other "VIP" prisoners.
Also, Patriarch [[Gabriel (DožicDožić) of Serbia]], head of the [[Church of Serbia]] was imprisoned here from September of 1944 until February 1945, when both he and St. Nikolai (Velimirovic) were released "unofficially" into the north of Italy.
==Pascha at Dachau, 1945==
The city of Munich, which was liberated by American forces on [[May 30]], was the home to many Orthodox churches and Christians. However, because of the chaos of the time, the attempt made to borrow Liturgical items from a Russian parish failed, as it was impossible to find people who belonged to the church. As a result, those there did what they could with the material that was at hand. For example, vestments were created out of new linen towels at the camp's hospital, and red crosses - meant to denote medical personnel - were used to adorn the towel vestments. No proper chapel was available, so the service was conducted in the room the in the "priest barrack" where Roman Catholic priests had been allowed to use to say mass. A single icon stood there, the [[Theotokos of Czestochowa]]. No Bibles or Liturgical books were available, but in the end little of this mattered, for as Metropolitan [[Dionysios (Haralambous) of Trikkis and Stagon]] would later write in his book "Martyrs" (published in 1949):
::"In the open air, behind the shanty, the Orthodox gather together, Greeks and Serbs. In the center, both priests, the Serb and the Greek. They aren't wearing golden vestments. They don't even have cassocks. No tapers, no service books in their hands. But now they don't need external, material lights to hymn the joy. The souls of all are aflame, swimming in light.
::Blessed is our God...My little paper-bound New Testament has come into its glory. We chant "Christ is Risen" many times, and its echo reverberates everywhere and sanctifies this place."
Another well-known account of Pascha at Dachau in 1945 comes from Gleb Rahr, a young Russian who had grown up outside the Soviet Union, but who was imprisoned for his "subversive activities". After surviving time at Buchenwald, and the death train to Dachau, he went on to dedicate his life to the service of the Church, in the places he lived (Japan, Taiwan, Germany) and throughout the world. Among the things that he notes is that at that time, there were eighteen Orthodox priests there, most of whom were Serbian. The entire service was done from memory, and went back and forth between Greek and Slavonic.
Unfortunately, many of the Soviet prisoners of war were not allowed to attend or participate in the service, due to the Soviet government's hardline stance against religion.
==List of Orthodox at Dachau==
*Fr. Bronislav Djorjevich, priest, b.1892, Secretary to Patriarch Gavrilo - survived
*Archimandrite Meletios Galanopoulos, b.1892 - survived (priest at the Salvatorkirche)
*Patriarch [[Gabriel (DožicDožić) of Serbia]], born 1881 (note: arrested May 25th, 1941 in Belgrade, detained at Dachau since September 25th, 1944 to February 1945, when he was taken to Northern Italy with other VIP-prisoners and inofficially released at the approaching of Allied troops)
*Fr. Milan Jovanovich, priest, b.1909 - survived
*Fr. Milan Kizdobranski, priest, b.1914 - survived
Before the withdrawal of Russian forces from Germany in 1995, a decision was made, on the initiative of [[ Archbishop Longin (Talypin) of Klin]] and with the blessing of Patriarch [[Alexei II (Ridiger) of Moscow|Alexei]] that a memorial chapel should be constructed on the grounds of the former concentration camp at Dachau to remember the Orthodox victims of the Nazi regime, as well as any other regimes of terror.. The architect for the project was Valentin Utkin. The chapel was built in the tradition of wooden churches of Northern Russia, which stretches back hundreds of years. (A spectacular example of this is the [[Kizhi Pogost]] in Russia.) The building and details were constructed by masters in the area of Vladimir in Russia, which were then shipped in pieces to Germany and put back together by Russian troops.
[[File:Dachau icon JForest.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Icon of Christ freeing the prisoners of Dachau (photo: [[Jim Forest]])]]
The chapel was named for the Resurrection of Christ, and features a large icon of Christ leading the prisoners of Dachau out of the camp through the gates, held open by angels. This icon was written by Angela Hauser, an iconographer from Bonn. (One of the prisoners depicted wears the prisoner number R64923 - Gleb Rahr's number. Since his death, a small wooden cross, fashioned by Rahr whilst a prisoner, is also housed at this chapel.)
*[https://mospat.ru/en/2015/05/06/news118775/ Celebrations marking 70th anniversary of liberation of Dachau Concentration Camp take place in Germany] Russian Orthodox Church, Department of External Church Relations; May 6, 2015
*[http://myocn.net/holy-memorial-service-nazi-concentration-camp/ Holy Memorial Service in a Nazi Concentration Camp]
*[[orthpedia:Christi-Auferstehungs-Gedächtniskapelle (Dachau, Deutschland)|Orthpedia entry]] (in German)
==For Further Reading==
*[http://ipn.gov.pl/en/news/510,Celebration-of-66-Anniversary-of-the-Liberation-of-German-Concentration-Camp-KL-.html Celebration of 66 Anniversary of the Liberation of German Concentration Camp KL-Dachau - May 1, 2011] Polish Institute of National Remembrance
*[http://www.historynet.com/soviet-prisoners-of-war-forgotten-nazi-victims-of-world-war-ii.htm Soviet Prisoners of War: Forgotten Nazi Victims of World War II]
 
[[Category:Churches]]
[[Category:Churches in Germany]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy in Germany]]
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