St. Thomas Church Leipzig

William Blair

The Thomas-Kirche (St. Thomas Church) in Leipzig is where J. S. Bach was employed as cantor from 1723 to 1750. He was buried in an unmarked grave in a local cemetary as he did not have the fame or reputation that he later acquired. In 1894 his remains were exhumed and moved to a vault in the Johanniskirche (St. John's Church) which was destroyed by bombing in WWII. In 1943 his remains were moved to the Thomas-Kirche and on July 28, 1950 a new grave with a bronze cover was inaugurated, exactly 200 years after his death. A statue of the great composer was erected in the courtyard at the rear of the church