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Towards the Church of Peace by Boat
The architecture of the Church of Peace erected in 1850 is based on that of monastic buildings of Northern Italy. Friedrich Wilhelm IV himself sketched a design following San Clemente in Rome. However, the Byzantine mosaic in the apse with its partly gilded glass tesserae is really old – it dates back to the 13th century and represents the Last Judgement with Christ surrounded by Mary, John the Baptist and the saints Peter and Cyprian. The quality of the mosaic is outstanding and it is unique north of the Alps. The crown prince acquired this work of art from an abandoned church in Murano near Venice and had it transported to Potsdam in 111 individual pieces.
The isolated island of Murano was so famous for its glass production that the French king Louis XIV, the Sun King, sent spies to Venice to uncover the glassblowers’ secrets of mirror making. The knowledge he gained was used to realise the famous Hall of Mirrors at Versailles