Thalbürgel Monastery Church: Nave @museum.de

F: Today's interior was originally just the nave of the medieval basilica. And do you see the transverse wall with the large, tripartite window? That was the site of the transept, with the choirs, the apses and the chancels beyond.

M: So during the monastic period, the church was more than twice as long! And the long route leading to the chancel was designed as a path to God.

You're welcome to walk that path, and as you do so, look to your left and right: the pillars date from the 12th century, when the monastery was built, and their capitals are decorated with floral ornaments that change from bay to bay.

Above them, on the left-hand side, there's a frieze that picks up on the stylised leaf ornaments and also runs in the direction of the altar.

F: Staying on the left – if you look closely at the area between the second and third pillar, you can see a plain cross carved into the sandstone. That tells us that one of the monks involved in the building work fell to his death on this spot.

M: If you look to your right, at the long wall in the side aisle, you'll see the only surviving sculpture from monastic times: a pietà, a figure of Mary supporting the body of the dead Christ, carved from lime wood in around 1510.

F: After the dissolution of the monastery, the church stood empty for more than thirty years. It took until around 1560 before enough farmers and tradesmen had settled in the area surrounding the sovereign estate. At that point, the former monastic church became Thalbürgel village church. The detached side aisles were used to house livestock and store farming equipment before ultimately being demolished. And here, in the nave, a suspended ceiling was added and a granary set up – high above the heads of the faithful.

M: In the mid-19th century, during Goethe's lifetime, commoners and princes alike began to take an interest in history. Gradually, the value of historical buildings was recognised and the first – today we'd call them conservationists – made sure they were preserved. They restored the church and re-attached the side aisles. But from our contemporary point of view, quite a few of their decisions were flawed. They demolished the early 15th century rood screen and buried it under the floor. The coloured murals were stripped off with acid. Since then, the most impressive feature of the church interior has been the elegant simplicity of the pale sandstone.

F: The former abbey church has remarkable acoustics. Every summer for more than five decades, it has welcomed musicians from near and far for a concert series that's become nationally famous.

M: The annual Thalbürgel "Konzertsommer" – the Summer of Concerts – has become a regular cultural fixture in Thuringia. Visit the new civic centre next to the church to discover how the community views the beneficial ideas of the monks today: as an appreciation of work, whether manual, intellectual or spiritual. If you'd like to explore the past and the achievements of our ancestors, please visit the Zinsspeicher Museum immediately opposite.

F: The local parish, and the Thalbürgel Monastery Church Foundation it has established, have set themselves the goal of preserving, revitalising and developing the monastery's fascinating heritage. Please visit its website.