[1] A new building, the Paulinum (formally: "Aula und Universitätskirche St. Pauli", i.e. "Assembly Hall and University Church St. Paul"), was built on the site beginning in 2007.

In 1229, friars of the Dominican Order settled in Leipzig and started building the Paulinerkirche in 1231 as their abbey church, within the city walls close to the Grimma Gate.

It was built in the typical fashion of a church of a Mendicant order of the 13th century, with a choir and a nave with two aisles in the "Langhaus".

[3] The church was part of a larger complex of medieval buildings which together formed the Dominican monastery of Leipzig.

[2] Luther's sermon on this occasion is extant in his handwriting, the so-called Zerbster Handschrift ("Eine predigt || D. Martini || Lutheri, newlich zu Leip= || tzig gethan.

His comment was: "nicht gnugsam rühmen und loben können, sonderlich deren Raren Register" ([he could] not praise enough, especially its unusual stops).

Bach possibly performed a new cantata already for Pentecost, Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten, BWV 59, on 16 May 1723, before he began his tenure as cantor at the Thomaskirche and the Nikolaikirche two weeks later, Sunday after Trinity.

Bach performed his motet Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226, first on 21 October 1729 in a memorial service for Johann Heinrich Ernesti (1652-1729), rector of the Thomasschule.

BWV 214, for the birthday of the queen, a cantata which he used as a model for parts of his Christmas Oratorio, namely its opening chorus.

[2] Probably in 1735 Bach performed the homage cantata Die Freude reget sich, BWV 36b, to Johann Florens Rivinius on his appointment to the Rectorship of the university in October 1735.

[2] Felix Mendelssohn conducted his oratorio on the church's patron saint, Paulus, in the first performance in Leipzig on 16 March 1837.

On 4 April 1968 the Leipziger Universitätschor performed Bach's St Matthew Passion, conducted by Hans-Joachim Rotzsch.

The newly built heart of the university includes a room for common prayer and regular religious services, located exactly at the place of the former church.

The first service in the new church was held on 6 December 2009 (the second Sunday in Advent), and it included a performance of Bach's cantata Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61.