Greg’s Photo Blog

Hallowed Ground

Thomaskirche in Leipzig is doubly hallowed ground. It is a consecrated church and also the place I associate most with Johann Sebastian Bach: it’s a place I revere. I entered the church as a pilgrim.

Bach inhabits a special place in my heart. His music speaks to me on many levels: emotional, intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic. He saw himself as a craftsperson and devoted his life to serving God through his music. He brought his art (craft) to a level of perfection that has never been surpassed.

I’ve been playing and researching Bach’s music for at least 50 years. He composed some the most fulfilling music with flute ever written. So I am very grateful to finally have had the chance to get physically closer to where Bach lived, worked and died.

Highlight Slideshow

Some History

The Wikipedia entry for Thomaskirche has lots of interesting information. Some highlights:

• Martin Luther preached in the church in 1539.
• Bach was the Thomaskantor (music director) from 1723 until his death in 1750.
• Although rebuilt over the centuries and damaged by Allied incendiary bombs in 1943, the church mainly retains the character of a late-Gothic hall church.
• The Thomanerchor, the church choir, likely founded in 1212, is an internationally known boys’ choir.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played the church organ on one of his European tours in 1789.
• Richard Wagner was baptised in Thomaskirche on 16 August 1813.
• During the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 (Napoleon was defeated by a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Sweden and Russia), Thomaskirche was used as a military hospital.

The Exterior

St Thomas Church in 1723.

From the East

Thomaskirche with café seating (east).

The exterior of the sanctuary (east).

The tower and high pitched roof.

The church tower was first built in 1537 and rebuilt in 1702.

One of the steepest pitched roofs in Germany with a ridge height of over 45 metres sits on top of the late Gothic hall of St. Thomas Church.

The architecturally striking truss has seven levels and an unusually steep tilt angle of 63°.

— Information board.

From the North

North portal.

In the 20th century, sulphur emitted from nearby coal mines, and other pollutants in the atmosphere caused the deterioration of exterior stonework and statuary.

— Wikipedia

The deterioration is very noticeable on this side of the church.

The statues are ‘mostly harmless’.

Some restoration work still to do.

From the West

Mendelssohn Portal (west).

During the neo-Gothic reconfiguration (1884–1889), St. Thomas Church was opened towards the west and the portal designed by Constantin Lipsius was added.

On the occasion of Felix Mendelssohn’s 200th birthday on 3rd February 2009, the portal was named after him.

— Information board.

Bach Statue

A statue of Bach by the Leipzig sculptor Carl Seffner stands near the south portal to the church. It was unveiled on 17 May 1908 to coincide with Leipzig’s first Bach festival.

My Hero.

This statue reminds me of the many heroic statues of famous soldiers, explorers and politicians that adorn plazas around the world.

Armed only with a scroll of music and supported by a small organ, Bach imagined he could conquer the world.

I don’t know the significance of one button being undone.

This statue is a lot more flattering than the portrait by Haussman in the Bach Museum.

There were some children practicing in the pulpit for a performance (I assume). You can hear the resonant acoustic when one of them starts speaking.

Thomaskirche Interior

Most of the Baroque internal trappings of the church known to Bach were removed in a Gothic revival renovation between 1884 and 1889. The pulpit and the main portal (Mendelssohn portal) in the west facade also date from this period.

The information board outside the church was very instructive.

The numbers in red boxes are explained below.

(1) Mendelssohn Portal

See above.

(2) Cross-Ribbed Vault and Sauer Organ

The magnificent vault of the Gothic nave creates the impressive acoustics of St. Thomas Church.

The coloured ribs contrast with the whitewashed plaster to vividly illustrate the lines of force of the hall church.

— Information board.

The most common types of vaults used in Gothic architecture are the ribbed vault, the groin vault, and the fan vault.

These vaults are characterised by their pointed arches, ribbed structures, and intricate patterns, which not only serve an aesthetic purpose but also help distribute the weight of the roof more effectively.

— AI buddy.

Stained glass windows on the south side.

That’s the Bach window in the centre (see below).

Beautiful detailing.

I don’t know if this is how it looked in Bach’s day.

Sauer Organ.

The Sauer organ on the western gallery was built by Wilhelm Sauer in 1889. Originally the romantic instrument had 63 sounding voices, which were expanded to a total of 88 in 1908.

In 2005 the organ was restored and returned to its original 1908 state.

— Information board.

(3) ‘Bach’ Organ

’Bach’ organ on north wall.

During the complete restoration of St. Thomas Church, the Bach organ was built by Gerald Woehl (Marburg) on the northern gallery opposite the Bach window.

Its sound is based on the style of Middle German organ building in the 18th century. The Bach organ has 61 stops on 4 manuals and pedals as well as Zimbelstern and Glockenspiel effect stops.

The organ case references the organ of the university church which was destroyed in 1968. Its organ was inspected by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1717 and he played on it many times.

— Information board.

The information board does not mention that the Church of St. Paul (the university church) was destroyed by the East German Socialist Unity Party as part of an urban redevelopment program. My AI buddy says:

The church’s presence was seen as a remnant of bourgeois and religious past, which conflicted with the atheistic and socialist vision of the East German state.

So the communists destroyed an organ that Bach had actually played. Unbelievable.

It was difficult to get a good angle for a photo.

This is an image from Wikipedia.

In the centre is the golden Bach Monogram.

Bach’s Monogram.

Johann Sebastian Bach designed this monogram. It intertwines the the letter J, S and B from top left to bottom right. The same letters are in mirror image from top right to bottom left.

Bach’s Monogram deconstructed.

This is a very Bach thing. He loved canons and invertible counterpoint.

Demo of the Bach Organ

(4) Bach Window

The window was designed in 1885, presumably by Carl de Bouche.

It is one of the memorial windows on the southern side of the Gothic nave.

— Information board.

It looks like Bach is enthroned on a pulpit or a pedestal (?). I haven’t had a chance to investigate all the symbolism.

Inscription: J. Seb. Bach.

To the left and right of his name are Bach’s slightly obscured birth and death dates: 1685 and 1750.

(5) Bach’s Grave

Bach’s grave in the choir with the sanctuary in the background.

In 1949, the bones of Johann Sebastian Bach were brought to St. Thomas Church from St. John’s Church which had been destroyed in the war.

In 1950 the grave in the choir was built to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of this great cantor at St. Thomas.

— Information board.

(6) Baptismal Font

The baptismal font made from marble and alabaster was created in 1614/1615 and is situated in the middle of the choir between the altar and Bach’s grave.

The cover of the font was lost in the 19th century.

At this font, eleven of Bach’s children from his marriage with Anna Magdalena Bach were baptised.

— Information board.

(7) Neo-Gothic Jesus Altar

The architectural design for the neo-Gothic Jesus altar was drafted in 1888 by Constantin Lipsius (1832-1894).

It had its place in the church until the interior renovation of 1964 and was installed again in 2016 after the Pauliner altar had been moved to the new university church St. Paul in 2014.

Mendelssohn Window

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) was the music director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and closely associated with the St. Thomas Church.

He revived interest in Bach’s music, most notably with a performance of the St Matthew Passion in 1829.

We briefly met Mendelssohn earlier on our odyssey while visiting Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa. I also heard a performance of his 4th Organ Sonata on the grand Johannes Klais organ in Hallgrímur’s Church in Reykjavik.

1809 – 1847. He died much too young.

Inscription: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

Maintaining a Monument

According to the information board, it costs 4,230 Euros per week to maintain the church and keep the doors open. Yikes. That’s nearly 220,000 Euros a year.

The church is in immaculate condition. As is the Nikolaikirche.

I am so very grateful that monuments such as these have survived and now flourish and bring pleasure to many thousands. To be able to visit them, listen to music in them or just sit quietly to reflect is a priceless gift.

Cathy in deep reflection …

Stay tuned for more adventures on our European Odyssey!