The Catholic Court Church — officially the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, commonly called the Hofkirche — stands at the west end of Schlossplatz between the Residenzschloss and the Elbe. It is the largest church in Saxony, built in Italian Baroque style by the Roman architect Gaetano Chiaveri. Augustus III needed it as a private court chapel after the royal family's conversion to Catholicism, while the city remained firmly Lutheran; the church was positioned so the royal family could enter directly from the palace without having to be seen attending Mass in public.
The interior holds the Silbermann organ from 1755 — Gottfried Silbermann's last and largest instrument, one of the most historically significant pipe organs in Europe. Concerts and organ recitals are held regularly. Below the nave, the royal crypt contains the heart of Augustus the Strong in a silver vessel, while the rest of him is buried in Krakow. The church was heavily damaged in 1945 and reconstructed in the following decades; it was elevated to cathedral status in 1980.