St. Michaelis is one of the main churches in

Lüneburg Lüneburg, officially the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg and also known in English as Lunenburg, is a town in the German Bundesland (Germany), state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of another Hanseatic League, Hanseatic city, Hambur ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

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

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

s, built from 1376 in

brick Gothic Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...

style. It became

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

during the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

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

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 (building), church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height. In England, Flanders and the Netherlands, it is covered by parallel roofs, typically, one for each vessel, whereas in Germany there is often one s ...

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. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term ''celibacy'' is applied ...

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

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. 2006. Another famous pupil was

Johann Abraham Peter Schulz Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (31 March 1747 – 10 June 1800) 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", and the Christmas c ...

who attended the school from 1757 to 1759, and who composed the melody for " Der Mond ist aufgegangen".

Organ and church music

The

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

dates back to an instrument built in 1708 by Matthias Dropa, a pupil of

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

. 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 (SHMF) 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 and conductor Justus Fr ...

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 (, ) 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 first edition of was ...

27 May 1948 {{Authority control Luneburg Michaelis Buildings and structures completed in 1412 Churches completed in the 1410s Lunenburg Michaelis Lunenburg Michaelis Lunenburg Michaelis

Michaelis Michaelis or Michelis is a surname. Notable people and characters with the surname include: * Adolf Michaelis, German classical scholar * Alice Michaelis, German painter * Anthony R. Michaelis, German science writer * Christian Friedrich Michael ...

15th-century churches in Germany

History

School

Organ and church music

Further reading

References

External links