The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Dresden, is a Lutheran Church.  It had originally been Roman Catholic but became Protestant during the Reformation.  It was and 's considered an outstanding example of Protestant sacred architecture and featured one of the largest domes in Europe.  Built in the 18th century, the church was completely destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during WWII.  The pile of ruins were left as a war memorial until the reunification of Germany.  The reconstruction was completed in 2004-5.

The church's most distinctive feature was the unconventional 315 feet high bell-shaped dome, lovingly called "The Stone Bell" by the natives.  The dome was an engineering feat comparable to Michelangelo's dome for St. Peter's Basilica.  For more than 200 years, the dome had towered over the skyline and gave Dresden a distinctive silhouette which was captured in paintings and thousands of photographs. 

In 1945 the Anglo-American allied forces of WWII, began the bombing of Dresden.  The church withstood two days and nights of the fierce attacks but finally collapsed on the 3rd day.  Nearly 6,000 tons of stone plunged to the ground.  These blackened stones lay in wait in a pile for the next 45 years.  But shortly after the collapse, residents had already begun salvaging unique stone fragments and numbering them for future use. 

In 1993, using original plans from the builder, reconstruction finally began.  The foundation stone was laid in 1994 and the crypt completed in 1996.  As far as possible, the church was rebuilt using the original material and original plans - with the help of modern technology.  The heap of stone ruble had been carried off stone by stone and documented.  Every usable piece had been measured and catalogued.  Of the millions of stones used in the rebuilding, more than 8,500 original stones were salvaged from the original church and reused in the reconstruction.  The blackened stones are clearly visible in the reconstructed church, which was completed in 2005.

Once again the Frauenkirche dominates the skyline of Dresden with its distinctive bell-shaped dome.  A bronze statue of theologian Martin Luther had survived the bombings.  It has now been restored and again stands in front of the church - the 1885  work of sculptor Adolf van Donndorf