The Georgenkirche stands to one side of the Markt, with a 16th century golden statue of a jolly-looking, moustachio'd St George slaying the dragon in front. The church is now the cathedral of the Lutheran diocese of Thuringia, and is a late Gothic successor to the church where St Elisabeth (as she became) married Ludwig IV. Martin Luther sang here as a choirboy, as his mother lived in the town, and preached here in 1521. JS Bach was baptised here on 23 March 1685.
In the porch a statue of Bach, looking younger and leaner than the familiar well-built middle-aged figure outside the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, or indeed outside the Bachhaus here in Eisenach. An ambitious twenty-something, perhaps, starting to make a name for himself.
The church was closed 13:00 to 14:00, when I arrived, so I took some photos of the outside from the market – against the light, as church pics always seem to be on this tour, but I tried to make something of them – and some of the nearby Lutherhaus, just off the Markt. Into the church at 14:00, an attractive four-square design with three levels of balconies either side, and huge chandeliers hanging from the roof. Much applied gilt decoration contrasting with white walls in the chancel. And the font, of course, used for Bach's christening. |
