The St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig
A SHORT ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY
The city and parish Church of St. Nicholas was founded around 1165. The church was located at the intersection of two important north-south, east-west trade routes. It was dedicated to Nicholas, the medieval patron saint of merchants and wholesalers. Even today it is still situated among office buildings in the city centre with its doors open to visitors from all over the world.
The church was originally built in the Romanesque architectural style prominently displayed on the western facade. In the early 16th Century the building was extended to form a late Gothic hall church and has retained this shape up to the present. The three steeples received their Baroque decoration in 1731. Sandstone extensions altered the outside appearance of the church once again in 1902.
The interior of the church is even more fascinating. It was reconstructed between 1784 and 1797 in a classical (classicistic) style according to French patterns by the architect J. C. F. Dauthe. The reconstruction was intended to demonstrate to the world the self-confidence and high cultural standards of the citizens. The columns, designed to resemble palms, are especially impressive. The rich ornamental decoration on the ceiling, the galleries, and the pews is remarkable.
The artist A. F. Oeser created thirty paintings for the church. They are exhibited in the portico as well as in the chancel. The angel of peace pictured above the altar is a rarity. Scenes from the New Testament are displayed in the chancel. Jesus is depicted as the teacher of humanity (south side) and the miraculous Son of God (north side) - the two fundamental images of Jesus, on which contemporaries differ then and today.
The pulpit, the baptismal font, and the altar are noble creations: the whole interior is an outstanding example of the very best of German art and craftsmanship. The four alabaster reliefs by F. Pfeifer from 1905 are extraordinary works of art as are the exceptional scenes from Jesus' Way of the Cross. The late Romanesque wooden crucifix in the sanctuary is the oldest work of art in Leipzig.
The church has served Protestant worshipers since 1539 when the Reformation came to Leipzig.
Bach's activity and creativity as master and organist of the choir in the years 1723 through 1750 were a highlight in the history of the church. Distinguished compositions by Bach were performed for the first time at St. Nicholas. The organ was built by F. Ladegast of Weißenfels in 1858-1862. It is an important example of the "Romantic" school of organ-building. It was modernized by the organ firm Hermann Eule (Bautzen) from 2002 to 2004 expanding the 103 registers with 6804 pipes and five manuals.
The church - one of Germany's most important architectural monuments - has been undergoing a thorough internal and external restoration since 1968 until 2004. Since the financing of the restoration is a huge burden the community gratefully appreciates all donations.
PEACE PRAYER SERVICES AT ST. NICHOLAS
When adding the „Angel of Peace" above the altar, our ancestors surely did not anticipate that prayer services for peace would be so important in the future. More than three decades ago we ourselves could not have imagined that these simple beginnings would become so important.
In the early eighties the "peace decades" were organized and held each November. Young people would gather for prayers over the course of ten days. While there were huge demonstrations in the Federal Republic of Germany to protest against the arms race, re-armament continued, the only chance we had to discuss and reflect on this burning issue was at meetings held within churches. It was a young congregation in the eastern part of Leipzig which decided to hold these prayer services for peace week after week, resulting in the regularly scheduled Monday evening services. Later the responsibility for conducting the peace prayers was carried out by peace groups comprised of former "Bausoldaten" (people, who rendered their compulsory military service by serving in special, unarmed units), environmental activists, and people interested in third-world issues. Together they sought to stir the public's conscience and encourage action.
The East German government strongly opposed human rights violations as long as they occurred outside of the Warsaw Pact's sphere of influence. But now groups had appeared inside East Germany which were demanding justice and respect for human rights within their own country.
At times only a small number attended the peace prayer services. Again and again, however, a particular event prompted crowds of people to attend services in protest. The situation grew explosive when the number of people willing to emigrate began to grow. These applicants for emigration - mostly Non-Christians - had no other opportunity to gather and compare experiences except in our church.
Because of the different objectives of the "grass roots groups," consisting of Christians and non-Christians alike, it was not always easy to maintain a prayerful atmosphere at these meetings. Still, together we were able to discover the relevance of the Bible's message, especially the prophetic texts from the Old Testament and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. These two things do belong together: people need to discuss urgent social problems and they need to meditate and pray to God for support and guidance.
In September 1989, when some people in the crowd declared, "We want to leave" while others shouted: "We are staying here," the number of arrests climbed. But, by that time, more and more people supported the movement.
Daytime saw the windows of the church decorated with flowers; every night brought numerous glowing candles, signs of fundamental change! But the greatest gift was the spirit of peace that reigned throughout, even on October 9, when everything was at stake.
This peaceful attitude - for which we had prayed so many weeks on end with the words of the Beatitudes - spread from the hundreds who gathered in the churches for the peace prayers to the thousands who flocked together in the city squares and streets.
Our prayer services for peace will continue! We will deal with today's problems - such as support for the unemployed and efforts to integrate foreigners into our city - as we dealt with problems in the past. Our intercessions and our commitment are just as necessary today as in the past, especially for the world's crisis areas where new wars and conflicts break out constantly.
Thus, we can say with Dietrich Bonhoeffer that our Christian identity today consists of only two things, prayer and just behavior.
Superintendent Friedrich Magirius
(1982-1995 Superintendent Leipzig-Ost)
THE EVENTS IN FALL 1989
"Nikolaikirche - open to all" became reality in autumn 1989 and surprised us all. After all, it united people from the whole of the former GDR: those who wanted to leave the country and those who were curious, regime critics and Stasi (State Security Police) personnel, church staff and SED members, Christians and non-Christians beneath the outspread arms of the crucified and resurrected Jesus. In view of the political reality between 1949 and 1989, this defies all imagination. It became reality. Exactly 450 years after the introduction of the Reformation in Leipzig, 176 years after the Battle of Nations in Leipzig. Now it was Leipzig once more.
From May 8, 1989, the driveways to the church were blocked by the police. Later the driveways and motorway exits were subject to large-scale checks or even closed during the prayers-for-peace period. The state authorities exerted greater pressure on us to cancel the peace prayers or at least to transfer them to the city limits. Monday after Monday there were arrests or "temporary detentions" in connection with the peace prayers. Even so, the number of visitors flocking to the church continued to grow to a point where the 2,000 seats were no longer sufficient. Then came the all-deciding 9 October 1989. And what a day it was!
There was a hideous show of force by soldiers, industrial militia, police and plain-clothes officers. But the opening scene had taken place two days before on 7 October, the 40th anniversary of the GDR, which entered into GDR history as Remembrance Day. On this day, for 10 long hours, uniformed police battered defenceless people who made no attempt to fight back and took them away in trucks. Hundreds of them were locked up in stables in Markkleeberg. In due course, an article was published in the press saying that it was high time to put an end to what they called "counter-revolution, if necessary by armed force." That was the situation on October 9, 1989.
Moreover, some 1,000 SED party members had been ordered to go to the St. Nicholas Church.
600 of them had already filled up the church nave by 2 p.m. They had a job to perform like the numerous Stasi personnel who were on hand regularly at the peace prayers. What had not been considered was the fact that these people were exposed to the word, the gospel and its impact! I always appreciated that the Stasi members heard the Beatitudes from the Sermon from the Mount every Monday. Where else would they hear this?
Thus, these people and Stasi members heard Jesus Christ's gospel which they didn't know, in a church they could not do anything with. They heard from Jesus who said: "Blessed are the poor"! And not:
Wealthy people are happy.
Jesus said: "Love your enemies"
And not: Down with your opponent.
Jesus said: "Many who now are first will be last".
And not: Everything stays the same.
Jesus said: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life or my sake shall find it??
And not: Take great care.
Jesus said: "You are the salt" And not: You are the cream.
The prayers for peace ended with the bishop's blessing and the urgent call for non-violence. More than 2,000 people leaving the church were welcomed by ten thousands waiting outside with candles in their hands - an unforgettable moment. Two hands are necessary to carry a candle and to protect it from extinguishing so that you cannot carry stones or clubs at the same time.
The miracle occurred.
Jesus's spirit of non-violence seized the masses and became a material, peaceful power. Troops, (military) brigade groups and the police were drawn in, became engaged in conversations, then withdrew.
It was an evening in the spirit of our Lord Jesus for there were no winners and no defeated, nobody triumphed over the other, nobody lost his face. There was just a tremendous feeling of relief.
This non-violent movement only lasted a few weeks. But it caused the party and ideological dictatorship to collapse. "He dethrones the mighty ones and enthrones the weak ones."
- "You will succeed, not by military power or by your own strength, but by my spirit, says the Lord", is what we experienced. There were thousands in the churches.
Hundreds of thousands in the streets around the city centre. But: Not a single shattered shop window. This was the incredible experience of the power of non-violence. Horst Sindermann, who was a member of the Central Committee of the GDR, said before his death: "We had planned everything. We were prepared for everything. But not for candles and prayers."
The prayers for peace continue. An initiative for the unemployed developed at the St. Nicholas Church. Thus, the St. Nicholas Church remains what it was:
A house of Jesus, a house of hope, a place and à source for a new beginning.
Pastor Christian Führer
(1980-2008 Pastor at Saint Nikolai)
