Mieczysław Chodkiewicz ( born in 1806 in Pekałów or Młynów [now Ukraine], died on 13 August 1851 in Dresden) – Count of the Kościesza coat of arms, heir to Młynów in Volhynia. He studied at the University of Warsaw. A lieutenant and participant in the November Uprising (wounded at the Battle of Grochów). After the fall of the November Uprising, he lived in Dresden with his family.

The Old Catholic Cemetery, which contains the graves of many prominent figures, is considered one of Dresden’s most significant cultural sites. This necropolis remains one of the oldest burial sites still in existence today. The history of the cemetery begins… with a wedding. In August 1719, the Duke of Saxony, later Frederick Augustus II, married the Austrian Princess Maria Josepha. The celebrations, held with great pomp and ceremony, lasted for many days at the magnificent Dresden Court. However, as early as in the marriage contract of 10 April 1719, consideration had been given to other aspects of life. It was stipulated in writing that, in Evangelical Lutheran Saxony, Catholic members of the court family on the Duchess’s side would be provided with a special burial place. On 20 October 1720 in Warsaw, Elector Frederick Augustus I, as Augustus II (King of Poland), granted permission for the establishment of such a site. However, it was not until 25 October 1723 that an implementing regulation was issued. This rather extensive regulation stipulated that:

The Dresden City Council must be fully informed of the name, age, official position and cause of death of the deceased, as well as the date of burial.

and also:

The deceased is to be buried in absolute silence, without a funeral procession or parade; no more than two carriages may accompany the funeral cortege, and the burial is to take place behind closed gates.

On 8 November 1723, a further royal declaration was issued concerning the implementing regulation. It permitted Catholic courtiers of the King and heirs to the throne to also enjoy this privilege (of being buried here). It took several more months before the cemetery was completed and opened for use. The first person to be buried there was the Italian actor Philipp Molteno (16 February 1724). That same year, 27 further burials took place. For deceased Catholics who were not members of the court, the cemetery gates remained closed.

Following the death of Augustus the Strong in 1733, his son, Frederick Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and King Augustus III of Poland, through the intercession of his wife Maria Josepha, granted Catholics more rights and freedoms than his father had. He ‘opened up’ the cemetery to all Catholics in a special royal decree dated 9 September 1738. The cemetery was enlarged in 1740 and 1842, but further expansion was no longer possible. In 1874, the New Catholic Cemetery was established, approximately 1 kilometre away, on Bremer Strasse.

From 1697 to 1763, when the Saxon Electors were also kings of Poland, many Poles lived and resided at the Saxon court. During the reign of Augustus II the Strong, around 20 per cent of officials in Dresden were Polish. Subsequent waves of Polish immigration were linked to emigration following failed liberation uprisings: the November Uprising and the January Uprising. At the Alte Katholischer Friedhof, we can find the graves of over 50 people of Polish origin.

In addition to Poles, this cemetery is the final resting place of members of Dresden’s prominent families, as well as artists who shaped Saxony’s multicultural landscape; among them, it is worth

mention: Balthasar Permoser (1651–1732), Giovanni Battista Casanova (1728–1795), Franz Gerhard von Kugelgen (1772–1820), Ermenegildo Antonio Donadini (1847–1936).

Technical details: sandstone; height approx. 370 cm