Brunnenkirche, Romanesque church in Erfurt, Germany

Brunnenkirche is a Romanesque church in Erfurt with a three-sided eastern end and late Gothic carved figures inside. A compact organ with nine registers, installed in 1952, stands in the choir area.

The church was built in 1253 on the site of a pre-Christian fountain dedicated to the goddess Silvia. After a fire in 1472, it was restored and reshaped several times over the following centuries.

The name refers to a pre-Christian spring dedicated to the goddess Silvia, over which the choir was built. A wall painting by Charles Crodel depicts the church's founding legend; acquired in 1927 by Wilhelm Köhler for the Weimar Schlossmuseum's modern collection, it remains there today. A cycle of five paintings made after 1700 shows scenes from the history of the fountain chapel.

The church stands at Fischersand 24 in Erfurt's old town, near the diocesan seminary. It serves the Augustinian convent, the Catholic student community and the Bildungshaus St. Martin, so visits fit around their services and lectures. The tower has been largely dismantled, so look for the low building rather than a spire.

The church's founding legend is shown in a wall painting by Charles Crodel, bought in 1927 by Wilhelm Köhler, founding director of the Weimar Schlossmuseum, for its modern art collection, where it remains. The well itself was filled in 1957. Inside, look for the epitaph of Conrad Wingerten (died 1468) on the west front, showing the Man of Sorrows, and a small candle-offering door with a carved frame from around 1500.