"The merchant church (Ecclesia Mercatorum) is located at the north end of Angers and has been evangelical since 1521.
The early history of the Kaufmannskirche is controversial. It may be the founding of a Frisian trader from the 8th century, with more recent research being based on a high medieval foundation. The Kaufmannskirche is consecrated as the parish church of the first market settlement of the city to St. Gregory of Utrecht. The Kaufmannskirche is the only double-towered parish church in the city, while the other parish churches have only one tower due to the smaller size of their communities. According to a fire in 1291, the present building was mainly built up to 1368 in Gothic style. From the years 1598 to 1625 comes the late renaissance decor of the church.
The church served as one of the two places of the Abbey, to be paid to the archbishop of Mainz (1108). In the years 1636 to 1650 the Kaufmannskirche served as a Swedish garrison church. In the year 1668 the parents of Johann Sebastian Bach in the church were distrusted. 1855 to 1865 extensive restoration work at the Kaufmannskirche, also lateral galleries were installed. In 1944 the church was heavily damaged by an airmine, restored by 1952. In 1955 the altar was restored, from 1987 to 1992 the pulpit, 1994 of the southern tower and 2001 of the north tower.
The text "On the 22nd October 1522 preached in the Kaufmannskirche Dr. Martin Luther of the cross and suffering of a right Christian man" was inserted into the outer church wall, in the direction of Anger and Martin-Luther-Denkmal .
In 1965, for reasons of traffic engineering, the merchant's parsonage, located north of the church, was demolished. It dates from the beginning of the 18th century and was built in baroque forms. The Institute for the Preservation of Monuments had tried in vain to preserve the parsonage.
On the 28th of June 2009, the church was celebrated for the restoration of the over 400-year-old baptismal font.
According to a "master plan", the Kaufmannskirche is to be reconfigured in addition to its religious function for cultural and social tasks. The galleries and the church benches are to be removed and an "modern rectangular building made of translucent glass" is to be built on the south side towards Anger.
In 1625, the 8.50 m high and 3.60 m wide altar from the Friedemann brothers was built in the chancel. However, he was painted and gilded only in 1671 by Michael Kesweiß of Gotha, presumably because of the outbreak of the Thirty Years War. The original high altar had been destroyed in 1594 by a vault collapse.
It is a wing-tale with a middle-shrine, fixed side-wings, and talks, which stands on a predella. On the central shrine, and thus in the center, the Last Supper is represented. This scene is framed by two composite pillars and side wings. Thus, on the left wing, the proclamation and above the birth can be seen. The right wing relief represents below the circumcision and above the baptism. Both side wings are bordered on the outside by evangelistic representations. In the superstructure stands the representation of the crucifixion, which is flanked to the left of the resurrection and to the right of the ascension. Above, the last judgment is shown on the upper left, and damnation on the right. At the top, Jesus is a world judge sitting on a rainbow, flanked by Moses and John, surrounded by angelic heads. The conversation consists of four standing angels holding the tools of the martyr in their hands. On the Predella is written both in Latin and in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek: "This is my body, that is my blood" (Matt 26: 26-28).
The seven-meter-high pulpit was erected in the chancel by the brothers Friedemann in 1598 on the southern pillar of the triumphal arch. Only since restoration work in the 19th century, it is located on today's north side.
The pulpit depicts the evangelical doctrine figuratively. Adam and Eve, which are situated on the foot of the chimney, are representative of mankind. They are blessed by Abraham, whose blessing is also conferred on Isaac, Jacob, and Jesse, who are portrayed above him. Under the pulpit basket, David can be recognized as a psalm singer with harp, as is Mary with the child and the patriarchs of Jesus. Above, directly on the pulpit basket, Jesus is portrayed as a painful man who suffered for humanity and then died for them. On the pulpit there is a prophet, John the Baptist and a charity figure. On the sound-cap of the pulpit the disciples of Jesus, up to Judas, are depicted. Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome and Gregor the Great are on the top of the sound cap and the representation of the triad of God on the bottom.
On the cheek of the pulpit, on six flat reliefs, the creed is portrayed from creation to salvation to sanctification. Also depicted are the Last Supper and the Last Judgment. Two reliefs can be found on the front door. On the first, we can see how thieves break into the sheep-shed; And on the second, as the herd is ultimately returned. Moreover, in Latin, "I am the door to the sheep" (John 10: 7). The door is supposed to symbolize Jesus, and the preacher can come to the church only through him, that is, with his message.
According to an anonymous chronical note, the baptismal stone, dating from the workshop of the Brothers Friedemann, was erected in the chancel of Easter in 1608. It consists of sandstone and is 1, 07 m high, 55 cm wide and its upper diameter is 1, 22 m. Its seven-sided foot is lined with prophets from the Old Testament. They are to point to the coming of the Savior. The Kuppa is framed by winged putti with torture tools. The puttas are to symbolize the New Testament. Since infants were infiltrated into the baptismal font for baptism, the stone font is very deep. Today, however, this is no longer necessary so that there is a flat brass baptism bowl above the basin.
The first organ was erected in 1511 by Barthel Herings. This was replaced in 1686 by a new building by Christoph Junge. In 1911 the organ was replaced by Wilhelm Rühlmann. In 1957 the instrument, which had been preserved up to this day, was erected by Schuster and Sohn. The Baroque prospectus could be obtained. The organ is located on the west wall and is 8 m high and 9 m wide. [4]
The following was planned:
I Headquarters C-
1. Quintatön 16 '
2. Principal 8 '
3. Pipe flute 8 '
4. Viola da Gamba 8 '
Octave 4 '
6. Gämshorn 4 '
7th quarter 22/3 '
Octave 2 '
9th Terz 13/5 '
10. Mixture IV
11. Trumpet 8 '
II Breast system C-
12. Gedackt 8 '
13. Quintades 8 '
14. Principal 4 '
15. Reed 4 '
16. Recorder 2 '
17. Headed rhinestone 11/3 '
18. Sesquialter II 22/3 '
19. Cymbel III
20. Vox humana 8 '
III Upper section C-
21. Gedackt 16 '
22. Principal 8 '
23. Wood-thrown 8 '
24. Principal 4 '
25. Nachthorn 4 '
26. Tube nasal 22/3 '
27. Principal 2 '
28. Sifflute 1 '
29. Scharff IV
30. Krummhorn 8 '
pedal C-
31. Principal 16 '
32. Subbass 16 '
33th octave bass 8 '
34. Gedacktbass 8 '
35. Choralbass 4 '
36. Nachthorn 2 '
37. Noise whistle V
38. Bass cornet III
39. Trombone 16 '
Coupling: II / I, III / I, I / P, II / P, III / P
However, Vox humana, Krummhorn and trombone could not yet be installed.
On the northern wall of the nave are two paintings by the Erfurt painter Christian Richter under the Orgelempore. One shows the Swedish Colonel and town commander Caspar Ermes († 1648) with his son; The other his wife Anna († 1654) with her two deceased children. Both paintings are 1.60 m high and 1.05 m wide. On the portrait of Ermes, a view of the city of Erfurt can be found in the background. It was around 1650 and that of his wife five years earlier. Another painting is on the southern side ship on the north wall. It is 2.32 m high and 1.17 m wide and was created around 1170. The magister Nikolaus Stenger, who died around 1680, is depicted. For a long time he was a pastor at the Kaufmannskirche and also a professor at the University of Erfurt. The oldest authentic view of the Kaufmannskirche can be seen in the background.
The choir walls are dominated by the numerous epitaphs. The vault of 1594 probably only survived the three great epitaphs. This was the epitaph of Hans Ziegler in 1584, by Wolfgang von Tettau around 1585, and that of the Sigismund family from Saxony around 1592. The epitaphs built after 1594 are probably from the workshop of the Friedemann brothers. Epitaphs and grave plates from the 14th to the 17th century can be found throughout the entire church."
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