Previous churches at the site go back to the 8th century and are associated with Saint
Boniface who reportedly founded the first monastery in Thuringia here, dedicated to
Saint Michael. The church contained a three-manual
German baroque organ in a historic case of
Austrian origin. It was here that Bach learned about organ building. The organ needed constant repairs, and he was sent into the organ often to fix minor problems. The church burned down in 1753 and 1808 when fires raged through the town, but rebuilt each time. The church was again destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945, only the roofless 15th-century tower remained. This was covered by a concrete roof until 1998/99 when the tower was reconstructed. Today, the tower houses a small chapel and an exhibition on the church's history. ==References==