Hear the echo of Luther’s sermons. This is Sankt Michael’s Church in Erfurt. More than just a church it’s a living testament to Erfurt’s rich history. Standing before you is a Gothic masterpiece. Its foundations date back to around 1183. Generous patricians Walter Kerlinger Dietrich Hotermann Conrad Brun and Heinrich de Stalberg donated the land. The church stood on the Via Regia beside Erfurt’s Jewish quarter. Notice the late-Romanesque lower tower. Those stones are original.
Between 1278 and 1290 a choirless Gothic hall was added. This forms the heart of the present church. Long-time pastor Heinrich Bauso oversaw this ambitious project. Sankt Michael’s became the university church in 1392. The university’s buildings stood opposite including the Collegium Maius. A northern side nave and galleries joined the structure in 1451. The Trinity Chapel a gift from Bishop Johannes Bonemilch von Lasphe was completed around 1500.
Martin Luther a student in Erfurt from 1501 to 1505 frequented Sankt Michael’s. He even preached here on October 21 1522. The year before Erfurt heard its first Protestant sermon within these very walls. Bonemilch ordained Luther a priest in 1507 likely on April 3. Luther’s friend Johannes Lang Erfurt’s reformer preached here until his death and burial in 1548.
The church has faced numerous challenges. The pointed roof was renewed in 1681. Further renovations took place between 1742 and 1750. The university’s closure in 1816 changed Sankt Michael’s status to a parish church. A Gothic Revival remodelling followed in 1819 and 1820. A western extension was built in 1928. Sadly a US Air Force bombing raid on February 9 1945 severely damaged the church and its organ. A restoration in 1958-1960 enabled its reopening.
The Evangelische Stadtmission Erfurt manages the church since 1973. In 1987 during the GDR era Sankt Michael’s hosted an exhibition protesting a planned city ring road. Further exhibitions on environmental issues followed. Extensive renovations took place from 1989 to 1995. Since Pentecost 2007 the Old Catholic Community of West Thuringia Erfurt uses Sankt Michael’s for services. Re-designated a university church in 2002 it held its first university service in 2007.
The tower holds Erfurt’s oldest bell Katharina cast in 1380. The churchyard is a treasure trove of late Gothic architecture. Twenty-four grave monuments from the 17th to 19th centuries are visible. Two historical gravestones from the 15th and 16th centuries stand as silent reminders. Sankt Michael’s Church is more than stone and mortar. It’s a vibrant piece of Erfurt’s living history. Let the stories of faith reform and resilience resonate within you.