Remarkably well preserved. If you would walk through the doors, the chancel is to your left.

It was in this cloister church that Luther said his first mass. This is one of the most well preserved Luther sites. This monastery and its church were constructed between 1276 and the mid-14th century. Though damaged during World War II, the monastery complex was nonetheless remarkably well preserved. The monastery church, a three-aisled basilica, began in 1291. The choir windows with beautiful glass paintings, as seen in this picture, date from the beginning of the 14th century.

In front of the altar you can see the grave of Johannes Zacharias, the chief prosecutor of John Hus at the Council of Constance. Luther took his monk's vow on this very spot in 1506 while lying on this grave. In Luther's times there were many altars in this church, including the so-called Augustine Altar of 1350. When Luther stopped in Erfurt on his way to Worms in 1521, he preached to an overflowing crowd in this church.

So many of the Luther sites were severely damaged by warfare since the 16th century, and particularly so during World War II. The Allies, in the last days of the World War II, engaged in massive bombing raids on previously untargeted locations, including smaller towns and cities. As a result, previously unharmed Luther sites were in many cases severely damaged or even destroyed. For instance, the town of Magdeburg was virtually obliterated. However, the larger churches were preserved.

The wooden "choir" stalls on either side in the chancel are original; here Luther took his place with his fellow monks for the monastic hours through the day and night for many years. The windows are truly beautiful. If you have seen the 2003 Luther movie, it was here that they filmed Luther's first mass; in fact, it was in this churchthat Luther did consecrate the Lord's Supper for the very first time at the altar you see in this picture.