St. Thomas Church

The St. Thomas Church was built as a monastery church in 1212. It can look back on more than 800 years of history. For 27 years (from 1723 to 1750), it was the place where Johann Sebastian Bach worked as the Choirmaster in Leipzig. During this time, he led the St. Thomas Choir, which enjoys international fame to this day. 

Most of Bach's works were written here. The St. Thomas Church is also Bach's final resting place and is regarded as an important centre of classical music - reaching far beyond the borders of Germany. 

A special attraction are the weekly motets on Fridays at 6 pm (in the Vespers form, duration about 1 hour) and Saturdays 3 pm (usually with a performance of a Johann Sebastian Bach cantata). As a rule, the motets are arranged by the St. Thomas Boys Choir of Leipzig; in their absence, guest ensembles or guest organists perform. The programme for the motet is available at the entrances to St. Thomas Church 45 minutes before it starts. No advance ticket sales are possible.