St. Matthew was a church in the old town of

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. During its history it had several names and functions. As a church of the

Franciscan order The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

, built in 1488, it was known as ''Barfüßerkirche'' and ''Heiliggeistkirche''. It served as a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church, known as ''Neukirche'', from 1699. A new congregation formed in 1876 and named the church ''Matthäikirche'' (St. Matthew). The building was destroyed in a bombing in 1943.

Franciscan church

The church was built from 1488 for the Franciscan order ''Barfüßer'' (" Barefeet") and known as the ''Barfüßerkirche''. It enlarged earlier church buildings dating back to the 1230s. It was dedicated in 1502 to the Holy Spirit and therefore also called ''Franziskanerkirche zum Heiligen Geist'' and ''Heiliggeistkirche''. After the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, the building served as storage for merchandise from 1552 to 1699.

Neukirche

The church was remodeled in 1699 in

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

as the fourth

church in Leipzig, known as ''Neukirche'' or ''Neue Kirche'' (New church). The altar was created by . The church was dedicated on 24 September 1699. An organ was built in 1704 by .

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

was the musical director from 1704, succeeded by Melchior Hoffmann in June 1705, and from 1720 by Georg Balthasar Schott. From 1723, the church music was supervised by the

Thomaskantor (Cantor at St. Thomas) is the common name for the musical director of the , now an internationally known boys' choir founded in Leipzig in 1212. The official historic title of the Thomaskantor in Latin, ', describes the two functions of Cantor ( ...

(director of church music in Leipzig), then

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

, with the third choir of the

Thomanerchor The Thomanerchor (English: St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig) is a boys' choir in Leipzig, Germany. The choir was founded in 1212. The choir comprises about 90 boys from 9 to 18 years of age. The members, called ''Thomaner'', reside in a boarding scho ...

singing, while the first choirs performed in the main churches

Thomaskirche The St. Thomas Church () is a Lutheran church in Leipzig, Germany, located at the western part of the inner city ring road in Leipzig's central district. Martin Luther preached in the church in 1539. It is associated with several well-known ...

(St. Thomas) and

Nikolaikirche The following cathedrals, churches and chapels are dedicated to Saint Nicholas: Austria * Church of St. Nikolaus, Lockenhaus * St. Nicholas Church, Inzersdorf, Vienna Albania * St. Nicholas Church, Moscopole * St. Nicholas Church, Perondi * Chu ...

(St. Nicholas). The building served as a prison in 1806 during the

War of the Fourth Coalition The War of the Fourth Coalition () was a war spanning 1806–1807 that saw a multinational coalition fight against Napoleon's First French Empire, French Empire, subsequently being defeated. The main coalition partners were Kingdom of Prussia, ...

, and from 1813 as a hospital.

Matthäikirche

In 1876 a new congregation formed and named the church ''Matthäikirche'' (St. Matthew), after remodeling in

Gothic revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

by . It was restructured again by from 1892 to 1894. The church was destroyed during the Bombing of Leipzig on 4 December 1943.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * ''Kirchen in Leipzig''. Schriften des Leipziger Geschichtsvereins 2/1993. Sax-Verlag, Beucha 1993 * Heinrich Magirius (u.a.). ''Stadt Leipzig. Die Sakralbauten''. Mit einem Überblick über die städtebauliche Entwicklung von den Anfängen bis 1989. vol 1. Dt. Kunstverlag, München 1995, p. 679-697

External links

Johann Sebastian Bachs Wirkungsstätten in Leipzig / Matthäikirche (Neukirche)
Paulinerkirche {{Authority control Churches in Leipzig Leipzig Matthew Leipzig Matthew Buildings and structures completed in 1488 Churches completed in the 1480s Leipzig Matthew Buildings and structures demolished in 1943 Buildings and structures in Germany destroyed during World War II