When a new church was dedicated in 1751 (the present Dresden Cathedral known as the Hofkirche) the building was used as a Ballhaus (a space for playing real tennis) and an archive.

During the second half of the 17th century, important rulers tried to establish court theatres as separate buildings, to house Baroque opera with an increasing demand for stage sets and decoration, and to seat more people.

[1] John George II, Elector of Saxony, commissioned an opera house which was built from 1664 and opened in 1667.

[2][3] The premiere of the first extant German opera was on 9 February 1672, Drama oder Musikalisches Schauspiel von der Dafne by Marco Giuseppe Peranda and Giovanni Andrea Bontempi.

[4] The exterior of the building in Baroque style was rather simple, built from Elbe Sandstone,[2] but the interior lavishly decorated.

(The comedy house with vaults, columns and balconies of marble could not be more magnificent than it is, and there is probably no other in Europe built as beautifully and solidly.

[9] A plan in 1707 to convert the unused Opernhaus into a Ballhaus (a space for playing real tennis) was quickly abandoned.

On Maundy Thursday 1708 (5 April) the building opened as a Catholic church,[13] which was dedicated to the Heiligste Dreifaltigkeit (Most holy Trinity).

[17] From 1717 Antonio Lotti directed an Italian opera ensemble which also supplied the church music on special occasions.

From 1720 Kapellmeister Johann David Heinichen, assisted by Jan Dismas Zelenka and Giovanni Alberto Ristori, worked on building a repertory of Catholic church music.

Charles of Saxony, Duke of Courland, one of the last remaining enthusiasts of real tennis, paid for an extensive roof repair in the 1770s.

{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Yo Tomita, Robin A. Leaver and Jan Smaczny, ed.