French Cathedral, Berlin

Französischer Dom is the colloquial designation for the "French Church of Friedrichstadt" located in Berlin on the Gendarmenmarkt across from the Deutscher Dom, formerly a church of German-speaking congregants.Louis Cayart and Abraham Quesnay built the first parts of the French Church from 1701 to 1705 for the Huguenot community. At that time, Huguenots made up about 25% of Berlin's population. The French Church was modelled after the destroyed Huguenot temple in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, France.In 1785 Carl von Gontard modified the church and built—wall to wall next to it—the domed tower, which, together with the French-speaking congregants, gave the church its name. The domed tower is technically not part of the church, there is no access between church and tower, and both buildings have different proprietors. It was built to embellish the Gendarmenmarkt ensemble at the instigation of Frederick the Great. The Deutscher Dom, however, on the other side of Gendarmenmarkt, consists of church building and tower as an entity.