The patron saint of the church is Thomas Becket of Canterbury, who was murdered in his cathedral in 1170 and canonized as early as 1173. The Romanesque basilica of the cross was mentioned in a document of Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in 1188. In it, the Bishop of Merseburg, Eberhard, was granted market privileges on the Neumarkt. The Neumarkt Church was originally a cruciform three-nave basilica without a separate crossing and with two west towers. Over the centuries, the southern tower and both side aisles were demolished. The constant flooding of the Saale River caused the soil around the church to rise, so that the floor inside was also raised several times, which also necessitated the relocation of the portals. The church had baroque furnishings. The altar and crucifix are currently in the town church and a baptismal angel is in the Merseburg Castle Cultural History Museum. The baptismal font, which probably dates from the time of the first mention, has stood in the vestibule of the cathedral since 1831. Also noteworthy is the beautiful Romanesque stepped portal with the knotted column, unique in Central Germany, which was probably intended to keep the devil away from the church door. In 1973, the church was abandoned by the congregation and became visibly dilapidated. From 1991-1995 the church was extensively renovated, the southern aisle , a tower stump and the sacristy were rebuilt. Inside, the church was excavated to the foundation of 1188, restoring the original impression of the space. Also, the foundation of the sandstone capstone located in the cathedral was discovered in the process.
Since 1995, a memorial against violence "Red Wall or Triumph of Ideology" by Klaus Friedrich and Gabriele Messerschmidt has stood on the south wall of the transept. The artist also created a triumphal cross and a sculpture in memory of Thomas Becket.