| St. Nicholas Church | |
|---|---|
Nikolaikirche | |
 Nikolaikirche in 2012 | |
 St. Nicholas Church | |
| Location | Leipzig |
| Country | Germany |
| Denomination | Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | nikolaikirche.de |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Romanesque,Gothic,Baroque,Neoclassical (interior) |
| Groundbreaking | c. 1165 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,400+ |
TheSt. Nicholas Church (German:Nikolaikirche) is one of the major churches of centralLeipzig, Germany (in Leipzig's districtMitte). Construction started in Romanesque style in 1165, but in the 16th century, the church was turned into a Gothichall church. Baroque elements like the tower were added in the 18th century.
In the 18th century, several works byJohann Sebastian Bach, who was asThomaskantor the music director ofThomaskirche and Nikolaikirche from 1723 to 1750, premiered here. The Neoclassical interior dates to the late 18th century.
The church rose to national fame in 1989 with theMonday Demonstrations when it became the centre of peaceful revolt against communist rule. By capacity, it is one of the largest churches inSaxony.
Construction of the church began about 1165. It is named afterSaint Nicholas, patron of travelers and merchants. It was built originally in theRomanesque style (with twin towers) but was extended and enlarged in the early 16th century in theGothic style. The Baroque main tower was added in 1730; the portal dates from 1759.[1]
Notable philosopher and mathematicianGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was baptized here as an infant on 3 July 1646.
From 1784 to 1797 the interior was remodeled by German architectJohann Carl Friedrich Dauthe in theNeoclassical style. The church has been aProtestant seat since 1539 after theProtestant Reformation, but today the Catholic Church is also allowed to use it.[1]
The church saw four of the five performances (including the premiere) of theSt John Passion byJohann Sebastian Bach on Good Friday in 1724, 1728, 1732, and 1749, as well as many of hiscantatas andoratorios performed by theThomanerchor.
From 1989 to 1991, people gathered at St. Nicholas on Monday evenings, leading to spontaneous peaceful protests against the government. Cabaret artistBernd-Lutz Lange [de] said about the events which started in the St. Nicholas Church:
"There was no head of the revolution. The head was the Nikolaikirche and the body the centre of the city. There was only one leadership: Monday, 5 pm, St. Nicholas Church."[2]
More recently, the church has been struggling to find the funds for interior restorations which have been ongoing since 1968.
The churchorgan was built byFriedrich Ladegast in 1862 with four manuals and 84 stops. During a renovation byWilhelm Sauer in 1902–1903, the mechanical (tracker) action was replaced by a pneumatic action. In 2004, the company Eule Orgelbau restored the organ, reintroducing a tracker action and reconstructing lost stops. As of 2025,[update] the instrument has 106 stops, and is the largest organ in Saxony.[3]
The current pastor for the church is Bernhard Stief.
Nikolaikirche has a capacity of over 1,400 seats.[1]
51°20′25″N12°22′43″E / 51.34028°N 12.37861°E /51.34028; 12.37861
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