Saint-Thomas church of Leipzig

The church Saint-Thomas (in German, Thomaskirche ) is a famous church of Leipzig to have been the place where Jean-Sebastien Bach worked like Choirmaster. It lodges a chorus of boys of world famous, the Thomanerchor .

The building

History

To the beginning of 12th, the Margrave of Meissen, Otton the Rich person, grants to the castle and the borough of Libzi the privileges of a city. It is of this time that date the bases of a church which were brought up to date at the time of the excavations to the level of the chorus and of crossed Transept of the Saint-Thomas church. This first church which one knows nothing more precise was the first building of the chapter of the canons Augustins created in 1212 by the margrave Dietrich.

The first modifications of the Romance style with the Gothic style are operated dice 1355 in the chorus of the church. Following the discovery at the end of the {{XVe}} century of money layers in the Metalliferous Mounts in the south of Leipzig, the city knows an important economic advancement which involves the restoration and the enlarging of the churches of the city over one period of approximately 40 years. Thus in 1482, the Romance Nef of the Saint-Thomas church is demolished then replaced in a late Gothic style, that of the church-market. It is devoted in 1496. Several Vault S and a flanked projection of two stair-wells entirely masking the northern part of the nave is built with the {{XVII}} century then removed with the {{XIX}} E.

The interior decoration as for him was continuously modified to adapt to the taste of the moment and that in particular thanks to the permanent enrichment of the city in the marketing activities. The most consequent modifications result from the restoration of the years 1884 with 1889. On this occasion almost the totality of the elements baroques, and in particular those of the time of Jean-Sebastien Bach, were removed. Since then the interior of the church in a Style neogothic is. It is still of this time which date the Chaire and the principal gate on the west coast. The restoration of 1961 with 1964 was made in order to emphasize the characteristics of the church-market.

The Réunification of both Germany in 1990 makes it possible to undertake the necessary in-depth restoration of the Saint-Thomas church. It could be completed almost entirely for the 250 years of died of Bach the July 28th 2000. The installation of new a Organ called " organ of Bach" fact integral part of this project.

Structure

The overall length of the church is of 76 m, that of the nave of 50 m, its width of 25 m and its interior height of 18 Mr. the roof has an unusual slope of 63° and its interior is staged in 7 levels representing a height of 45 Mr. Enfin, the tower measures 68 Mr.

Works of art

Just like the other elements of the church Saint-Thomas, the works of art present inside the building were added, modified, renovated with the wire of the centuries.

The baptismal font in Albâtre were created by Franz Döeteber between 1614 and 1615. Biblical scenes decorate the circumference with it. The Retable located in the chorus, work of an unknown artist of the {{XVe}} century, was at the origin in the church Saint-Paul which was destroyed with the explosive in 1968. Tables of the Surintendant S of the Paroisse S of Leipzig paper the walls surrounding the chorus. Oldest of them go back to 1614. Under the epitaph in Bronze since 1950 puts back the skin of Jean-Sebastien Bach. This one was found in 1894 in the parochial cemetery of the church Midsummer's Day but inside even a church before 1900 did not put back. The destruction of the near total of the building during the Second world war involved the transfer of the skin to the Saint-Thomas church. The Saint-Thomas church itself was touched besides on the level of the tower by the Allié bombardment of the December 4th 1943 in Leipzig. The church contains many other epitaphs, oldest being that of the Harras knight, died in 1451, which is under the southern gallery on the left of the side entry. That dedicated in 1612 to the adviser Daniel Leicher is located in the cross northern Transept.

At the origin the Saint-Thomas church had only stained glasses with simple reasons. It is only in 1889 that the stained glasses of the chorus and the southern face are installed. Those of the chorus represent the history of the Christ, since her birth until its Résurrection. On the windows of the southern part, restored after the First World War, one can see - of is in west - the stained glass commemorating deaths of the Great War as well as stained glasses representing Gustave II Adolphe of Sweden, Jean-Sebastien Bach, Martin Luther surrounded of the Prince-Voter Frederic III Wise the and of Philippe Melanchthon, the Empereur Guillaume {{Ier}} the single stained glass to be destroyed during the war is replaced in May 2000 by the “stained glass of Saint-Thomas” ( Thomasfenster ).

Organ and instruments

The Orgue S of the time of Bach do not exist any more. The organ which is on the platform of the chorus-singers in the west was built in 1889, during the great restoration, by the Organier Wilhelm Sauer. It is particularly adapted to the romantic Musique. It was in the beginning made up of 63 sounding plays and has 88 now of them. In 1967, a second organ, built by Alexander Schuke, was installed in the north-eastern part of the building, then transferred in 1999 in the Sainte-Marie cathedral from Fürstenwalde. During the year 2000, the “Bach year”, was created the new organ " Bach" , on the northern gallery, opposite the window of Bach ( Bachfenster ). It is used with interpretation of works for organ as Bach and was built by the workshop Gerlad Woehl, Organ builder with Marbourg. The tonality of this work with its 61 registers, 4 manual keyboards and pedals, is connected with that of the construction of organ of the central Germany of the {{XVIIIe}} century. The form of the dresser takes as a starting point the organ which was in the church of the university of Leipzig (Saint-Paul church), destroyed since, and on which Bach was accustomed to playing.

In the Sacristie of the south of the Saint-Thomas church are exposed musical instruments which date from the time when Bach was cantor: Two Violin S, a viola, a Violoncello and two Drinking cup S.

The choral society Saint-Thomas ( Thomanerchor )

It is in a document going back to 1254 that the Saint-Thomas choral society (in German, the Thomanerchor ) was mentioned for the first time. But one can suppose that the choral society was created with the monastery. the choral society who was made up of the time of Bach of 54 singers in account today 100. Its main mission is the perpetuation of the work of Bach by weekly interventions at the time of the Motet S and Cantate S, and by an annual interpretation of the Oratorio of Christmas and one of both passions (according to Saint-Mathieu or according to Midsummer's Day).

Jean-Sebastien was Chef of chorus ( Kantor ) to the Saint-Thomas church of 1723 until his death the July 28th 1750.

References

Pasteur Christian Wolf (transl. C. and Mr. Chautard), the church St Thomas: small guide in French language , Druckerei Böhlau, Leipzig, 2005
Encyclopedia of Leipzig in line ( Leipzig-Lexikon ), “Thomaskirche”, (consulted page on July 11th, 2007), < http://www.leipzig-lexikon.de/KIRCHEN/THOMAS.HTM >

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