Leipzig- St. Thomas Church

                      St. Thomas Church

      A Lutheran Church, St. Thomas Church is one of two worship centers that Leipzig's heart of the city holds. The church is home of the St. Thomas Boys Choir and is also the final resting place of Johann Sebastian Bach, the famous St. Thomas cantor. Bach was the choir director at St. Thomas Church from 1723 until his death in 1750. The University of Leipzig was founded here in 1409. The church took the form of a late Gothic hall church from 1492-1496. Martin Luther also preached the implementation of the Reformation here in 1539, signaling the arrival of Protestantism in Leipzig. On December 4, 1943, the tower was damaged in an Allied bombing raid on Leipzig, requiring repair.
      Today, visitors from all over the world come to Leipzig to observe church services in the St. Thomas Church, hear a motet from the St. Thomas Boys Choir, or to take pleasure in concerts and organ music.
Choirboys still follow an almost medieval regime within a distinctive subculture that's almost a separate world. Each newcomer is assigned a "mentor" from among the trusted older members of the choir, and all members are required to eat, sleep, study, and rehearse according to a semi-monastic regimen.

"Welcome." Thomaskirche Leipzig. St. Thomas Church, n.d. Web. 16 May 2013.


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