, image = Ägidienkirche Erfurt.jpg , caption = View from ''Wenigemarkt'' , pushpin map = Germany , pushpin label position = top , map caption = Location in Germany , coordinates = , location =

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

, Thuringia , country = Germany , denomination =

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

, previous denomination =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

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

, dedication = Saint Giles , style =

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

, completed date = 1325 , tower height = St Giles' Church (german: Ägidienkirche, also ''St. Ägidii'') in the historical centre of the city of

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

, Germany, forms the eastern entrance from ''Wenigemarkt'' (Minor Market) to the ''

Krämerbrücke The Krämerbrücke (; Merchants' bridge) is a medieval arch bridge in the city of Erfurt, in Thuringia, central Germany, which is lined with half-timbered shops and houses on both sides of a cobblestone street. It is one of the few remaining bri ...

'' (Merchants' Bridge) with its archway. The single-

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

church building is one of the former two bridgehead churches. At the western end stood the ''Benediktikirche'' (St Benedict's Church) since the 11th century, which was demolished in 1890 and is now only remembered by the name of ''Benediktsplatz'' (St Benedict's Square).

History

St Giles' Church was mentioned as early as 1110 as ''

capella Capella is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Auriga. It has the Bayer designation α Aurigae, which is Latinised to Alpha Aurigae and abbreviated Alpha Aur or α Aur. Capella is the sixth-brightest star in ...

s. aegidii confessoris''. After the destruction of the bridge and the church by a fire in 1293, it was rebuilt as a rubble stone structure and completed in 1325. It was built primarily for merchant travellers. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the ground floor was an open hall and served as a salesroom; the nave is one storey higher. In 1382, the ''Ägidiusglocke'' (St Giles' Bell) was cast; after the ''Katharina'' in St Michael's Church, it is the second-oldest bell in the city of Erfurt. After several changes of patronage until 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 ...

in 1525, the church belonged to the monks of the ''Schottenkloster'' (Scots monastery) and then to the ''Kaufmannsgemeinde'' (congregation of Merchants' Church). Services were discontinued in 1615, the church was leased to a merchant for profane purposes in 1657 and sold in 1827, to be partly used as a warehouse. The ground floor housed a shop, the doorways of which were uncovered during renovation work. In 1927, the building was reacquired as a tenement and since its restoration from 1957 to 1960, it has once again been used as a place of worship by the

. It is the oldest church in the world used by Methodists and has been owned by the (United Methodist Church in East Germany) since 1957. In 2000 and 2002, it was restored with support of the German Foundation for Monument Protection. The church interior is on the first floor, with the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

in the late Gothic oriel window. The archway forms the eastern entrance to the ''Krämerbrücke''. From the tower of the church, which has 128 steps, there is a good view over the roofscape of the ''Krämerbrücke'' to Erfurt's landmarks, the ''Domplatz'' (Cathedral Square) with St Mary's Cathedral and St Severus' Church, as well as the panorama of the Petersberg Citadel. The church tower is also known as the ("Red Tower") and is open to visitors every day. AegidienkircheErfurtGlocke.jpg, One of the bells Erfurt-Wenigemarkt.jpg, View of Wenigemarkt from the tower Blick vom Ägidienturm in Erfurt.jpg, View of Krämerbrücke from the tower

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Giles' Church, Erfurt Giles Erfurt Giles Gothic architecture in Germany 14th-century churches in Germany Protestant churches converted from Roman Catholicism Churches completed in 1325