Thomaskirche Leipzig celebrates 25 years – anniversary with a big celebratory service!

Thomaskirche Leipzig celebrates 25 years – anniversary with a big celebratory service!

On Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2025, St. Thomas Church commemorates an important event: its 25th anniversary of re-dedication. This memorable date will be celebrated with a festive service at 9:30 a.m. at which former pastor Christian Wolff will preach. The service will be musically provided by the renowned THOMAN CHORUS and the Gewandhaus Orchestra under the direction of Thomaskantor Andreas Reize. Afterwards, the Thomaskirchhof becomes a lively meeting place where music, information and culinary delicacies are offered.

The festivities marked the reopening of St. Thomas Church after extensive restoration work that took place from 1997 to 2000 and cost around 10 million euros. Around half of this sum was raised through donations, and Thomaskirche-Bach e.V., which was founded in 1997 and has been working tirelessly to preserve the church since then, was crucial to this financing. The club now has 354 members and continues to seek support and contributions from the community.

Current restoration measures

Although the extensive restoration between 1997 and 2000 dates back 25 years, further conservation measures are necessary. However, this should not be done to the same extent as the previous work. Currently, the focus is particularly on the historic entrance doors and the Bach portal. Stonemasonry work in this area began on March 20, 2025 and is part of a gradual restoration of the church interior that began in autumn 2023. This work was also financed by the Förderverein Thomaskirche-Bach e.V., and the financing of the entire restoration amounts to a total of 190,000 euros, with 50,000 euros still missing to fully complete the measures.

The work also includes repairing damage to the plaster and redesigning the entrances to the church and the gallery staircases. An extensive renovation of the areas under the galleries and the entrance area to Burgstrasse took place in 2024. The first important locksmith work will follow this year.

A community commitment

The board of Thomaskirche-Bach e.V. emphasizes the need for long-term care and support for the Thomaskirche. In addition, to promote preservation, a “Bach bread” will be introduced in cooperation with the Macis organic bakery, of which 10% of the sales price will be donated to the Thomaskirche. In the past few months, the association has already raised over 8,500 euros through a fundraising campaign.

In order to continue the extensive work and ensure the preservation of St. Thomas Church, members and supporters are being sought. A donation account has been set up at: Thomaskirche-Bach e.V. can be found. Through the commitment of the community and the general public, it is hoped that the tradition and cultural heritage of St. Thomas Church will be preserved for future generations.