St. Bartholomew's Church was one of over twenty parish churches in medieval Erfurt and was mentioned as early as 1182. There were twelve altars in the richly decorated parish church. A magnificent, late Gothic altar reredos has been preserved, which today stands in the choir of the Barfüßerkirche. The 49-metre-high tower was built between 1412 and 1468.

With the Reformation, St. Bartholomew's Church lost its congregation. The church was closed in 1571 due to dilapidation and finally demolished in 1715. The surviving tower was used by the Barfüßer congregation as a bell tower from 1591 to 1942. A bell from 1481 has been preserved to this day. The tower dome was destroyed during the war and the tower was covered with an emergency cover. In 1979, a carillon with 60 bronze bells designed by Peter and Magarete Schilling was installed. In 1992, after a thorough renovation, the Gothic tower dome was rebuilt. There is an exhibition on the history of the tower in the tower's staircase.