St. Matthew was a church in the old town of Leipzig. During its history it had several names and functions. As a church of the

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, built in 1488, it was known as ''Barfüßerkirche'' and ''Heiliggeistkirche''. It served as a Lutheran 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 building served as storage for merchandise from 1552 to 1699.

Neukirche

The church was remodeled in 1699 in Baroque style as the fourth Lutheran 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 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 (director of church music in Leipzig), then Johann Sebastian Bach, with the third choir of the Thomanerchor singing, while the first choirs performed in the main churches Thomaskirche (St. Thomas) and

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(St. Nicholas). The building served as a prison in 1806 during the War of the Fourth Coalition, 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 by . It was restructured again by from 1892 to 1894. Fotothek df roe-neg 0000535 002 Ruine der Matthäikirche

The church was destroyed in a bombing 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 Leipzig Matthew Leipzig Matthew Buildings and structures demolished in 1943 Buildings and structures in Germany destroyed during World War II