Edith Stein – A hidden treasure in Chemnitz
The project of the Edith Stein Society in Wrocław, PL focuses on the personality of Edith Stein and reveals one of the invisible sides of Chemnitz: one of her favorite places, which she frequently visited.
Edith Stein was born in Breslau in 1891 and is an extraordinary woman – German and Jewish, psychologist, teacher and doctor of philosophy, finally a Carmelite nun, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, who died in Auschwitz in 1942. She has been co-patroness of Europe since 1999.
What is less well known is that Chemnitz played a small but special role in her life. In her youth, she often visited her uncle’s pharmacy, very close to the Chemnitz market square. The project is now shedding light on this almost forgotten connection.
The project includes an exhibition introducing Edith Stein, an art and dance workshop and a concert of Jewish music in an atmosphere of joy and playfulness.
Central event: Exhibition in St. John’s Church
July 10 to 17, 2025, St. Johanniskirche, Chemnitz
Vernissage: 10.07.2025, 11:00 a.m.
Opening hours: daily 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
The exhibition tells the story of Edith Stein’s life – a woman who bravely faced up to opposition and always searched for truth, justice and meaning.
Born into a Jewish family in Breslau in 1891, she studied psychology and philosophy, campaigned for women’s rights and worked as a Red Cross volunteer in the First World War. As a brilliant thinker, she was denied a professorship – as a woman and as a Jew. During her studies, she campaigned for women’s suffrage. During the First World War, she volunteered for medical service. She later converted to Christianity, entered a convent and took the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She was murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942. Pope John Paul II canonized her in 1998 and named her co-patroness of Europe a year later.
In his motu proprio for the appointment, the Pope emphasized the hope that Edith Stein’s life testimony would contribute to “men and women learning to understand and appreciate one another, beyond all ethnic, cultural and religious differences – in order to form a truly fraternal society.” It is precisely this spirit that the exhibition aims to express.
Opening concert: Jewish music in the Jakobikirche
July 7, 2025, Jakobikirche, Jakobikirchplatz 1, Chemnitz
The opening of the exhibition will be preceded by a concert of Jewish music performed by Trio Versatile, three artists from the Breslau victims. The music builds a bridge between Edith Stein’s origins and her spiritual journey and creates a festive setting for the following days.
Edith Stein inspires – then as now. With courage, spirit and faith, she built bridges between cultures, religions and world views. Let yourself be touched by her life and discover her traces in Chemnitz.