St. Michaelis is one of the main churches in

Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also calle ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

, Germany. It was first an abbey church of the former monastery of

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

s, built from 1376 in

brick Gothic Brick Gothic (german: Backsteingotik, pl, Gotyk ceglany, nl, Baksteengotiek) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resourc ...

style. It became

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

during the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

was for two years a pupil at the school of St. Michaelis.

History

St. Michaelis was built as an abbey church of the former monastery of

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

s. The present church followed three former buildings. Its corner stone was laid on 14 July 1376 in the presence of Bishop Heinrich von Verden, who was bishop from 1367 to 1381. A lower church was consecrated in 1379. The upper church was finished in 1412, the steeple in 1434. The building was erected as a

hall church A hall church is a church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was invented in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Lübke, a pioneering German art historian. In contrast to an archi ...

style. The parish became

during the

. The monastery became in 1532 a rare community of Protestant men who practised

celibacy Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both, usually for religious reasons. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the ...

and common housing. The roof of the steeple was damaged in a storm in 1746, and a new top was erected between 1761 and 1767. At the end of the 18th century, a remodeling of the interior was performed by architect Wilhelm Meissner, during which the medieval furnishings were lost. The church is one of the attractions of the

European Route of Brick Gothic The European Route of Brick Gothic (EuRoB) is an association of cities, towns, regions, municipalities and institutions that have Brick Gothic buildings in their territory or have their headquarters in a Brick Gothic building. The network also incl ...

School

A school (''Partikularschule'') associated with the monastery and the church was probably established already in the 11th century. It is documented from 1353 to 1818/19. As a teenager,

was a boarder at the school and a singer in the church choir, for two years from 1700 to 1702. He probably also contributed to the musical life of St. Michaelis as an organist, as he is known to have studied the instrument during his time in Lüneburg.Researchers find Bach’s oldest manuscripts

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

. 2006. Another famous pupil was

Johann Abraham Peter Schulz Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (31 March 1747, Lüneburg – 10 June 1800, Schwedt) was a German musician. He is best known as the composer of the melody for Matthias Claudius's poems "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" and " Wir pflügen und wir streuen", ...

who attended the school from 1757 to 1759, and who composed the melody for "

Der Mond ist aufgegangen "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" (German for "The moon has risen") is a German lullaby and evening song by Matthias Claudius, one of the most popular in German literature. Also known under the name Abendlied (German for "evening song") it was first relea ...

Organ and church music

The

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

dates back to an instrument built in 1708 by

Matthias Dropa Matthias Dropa (born between 1646 and 1665Stef Tuinstra: ''Groningen, Province of organs.'' In: ''The Organ Yearbook.'' 25, 1995, 66 (49–100). – 25 September 1732) was a German organ builder. A pupil of Arp Schnitger, he built organs in Northe ...

, a pupil of

Arp Schnitger Arp Schnitger (2 July 164828 July 1719 (buried)) was an influential Northern German organ builder. Considered the most paramount manufacturer of his time, Schnitger built or rebuilt over 150 organs. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, es ...

. It was refurbished several times. In 1871, the organ builder Philip Furtwängler & Söhne replaced most of Dropa's pipes. In 1931, Furtwängler & Hammer built a new organ in the case by Dropa. In 1999, the organ was restored, retaining historic parts from 1708 and 1931. St. Michaelis is a venue for sacred music in services and concerts, including events of the

Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival is a classical music festival held each summer throughout the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany. History The festival was founded in 1986 by German concert pianist Justus Frantz. In 2006, the 21 ...

References

External links

*
Viaduk – Internetportal für Kirche und Diakonie in Lüneburg

Lüneburg – Benediktiner, später ev. Männerkloster St. Michaelis
''Niedersächsische Klosterkarte'' of the

let.rug.nl * G. Fock
Der junge Bach in Lüneburg / Eine musikhistorische Richtigstellung

Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The ...

27 May 1948 {{Authority control Luneburg Michaelis Luneburg Michaelis Lunenburg Michaelis Lunenburg Michaelis Lunenburg Michaelis Michaelis 15th-century churches in Germany

History

School

Organ and church music

Further reading

References

External links