THOMASKIRCHE (ST. THOMAS CHURCH)

The Thomaskirche is, in duet with the Nikolaikirche, the most famous church in the city. A jewel of Saxon Gothic style, it can be distinguished from afar with its white walls and ochre joints. Johann Sebastian Bach was choirmaster and organist for more than twenty years. In 1950, his remains were transferred there and are now buried there. A sanctuary of Bach, this church is undoubtedly the most beautiful in Leipzig for its exterior. She was a privileged witness to the glorious history of the Messestadt. It was here that Bach officiated; it was here that Richard Wagner and Karl Liebknecht were baptized. You will visit it, following in the footsteps of those personalities who were prominent in Germany, but you will also have great visual satisfaction: the architectural ensemble is a masterpiece of elegance.

Saint-Thomas Church was founded in 1212 and was built in a late Romanesque style. It was then completely transformed in the 14th-15th centuries, a period during which the city experienced unprecedented growth and expanded its churches. Some transformations began in the 1350s; but it was in 1482, when the Romanesque nave was demolished for its enlargement, that major works were carried out. The Thomaskirche was then adorned with finery from a masterly late Gothic period and worthy of the greatest achievements of this style in the Germanic world. The works of this period are still today the most significant in the appearance of this church, which together with the Nikolaikirche has always been through the most important history of this city without any significant ecclesial headquarters. In 1496, the new Thomaskirche was consecrated, with its slender high hall church plan and techniques that allowed light to penetrate widely. Today, the white paint on the pillars, the ochre and the black of the ribs perfectly underline the virtuosity of the construction. During the Baroque period, Bach's, the interior had been largely reworked in this style; but in the 1880s, a new reworking removed these additions in a neo-Gothic perspective aimed at restoring the interior to its original character. The pulpit and the western portal are neo-Gothic creations of this period. The last major restorations, dating from 1961-1964, extend this approach and have made it possible to enhance the space of the plan of the "original" Gothic hall church. From the sumptuous period of the 15th century, the Thomaskirche inherited a magnificent 14th century altarpiece, made by a master from Erfurt, initially present in the Paulinerkirche University Church, which was dynamited in 1968, and then transferred here.

From the high place of sacred music, where Bach was Kapellmeister and organ master, no original instrument remains. The great organ present today dates from 1889, the height of the romantic period for organ music; it is more suited to this music than to the master's baroque works, which paradoxically find more resonance in the organ of the Nikolaikirche according to many experts. Nevertheless, if you have the opportunity to attend an organ concert, don't miss it: the walls that have heard Bach compose and play are still the same and the concerts are always of an excellent standard! You may also have the opportunity to see the Thomaner choir, the Thomaskirche's choir children, which enjoys a worldwide reputation. Notice to gift lovers! The Thomasshop, located just next to the Thomaskirche, sells books, records, DVDs, but also postcards, musical scores, jewellery and t-shirts bearing the effigy of the church or Bach.