Temple Saint-Étienne
Encyclopedia
The Protestant St. Stephen's Church is the main Reformed
church of the city of Mulhouse
in Alsace
, France
. Because of its central location on the main square of Mulhouse, the Place de la Réunion, and its 97 meter high bell tower (the highest steeple in the department of Haut-Rhin
), it is sometimes referred to as the "Cathedral of Mulhouse" (Cathédrale de Mulhouse). The church was designed by the city architect Jean-Baptiste Schacre
, who also designed the large Catholic
St. Stephen's Church (Église Saint-Étienne).
building from the 12th century was expanded at the beginning of the 14th century in the Gothic
style. A substantially higher choir was added to the nave. In 1510, the Romanesque bell tower was remodelled in the style of the Renaissance
. In 1707, the bell tower was crowned with an onion dome. In 1857, the city council of Mulhouse decided to replace the place of worship, which had come to be looked upon as dilapidated, by a new building. The city architect Schacre, who had already constructed the main synagogue of the city and the Catholic St. Stephen's Church, designed a church in the neo-Gothic style with a simple, rectangular ground plan without a transept and choir. In contrast to the long Catholic church, it was a squat, but very wide building. The bell tower, which is visible from quite a distance away, stands behind the building, in contrast to its model on the Freiburg Minster. The current church was built between 1859 and 1866. Since February 2009 and prospectively until late 2019, the church is subjected to a progressive restoration of all its exterior and interior parts. The work had started with the complete scaffolding of the steeple.
windows from 1320 to 1350, famous for their vivid design and rich colors. They were originally in the choir and were set into the clerestory
windows. The Baroque
choir stalls of dark oak are from 1637. The stone church monument
of Baron Friedrich Ludwig Waldner von Freundstein (1735), an important work of the local late Baroque period, was erected in the assembly room of the new church. Of the Silbermann organ made by Johann Andreas Silbermann
(1765), only the case remains; it was moved into the Protestant St. John's Church (Temple Saint-Jean) of the city, when the old church was torn down. The current organ comes from the workshop of Eberhard Friedrich Walcker, but has been altered many times since it was installed in 1866, especially by the Schwenkedel organ manufacturer. The Baroque pulpit
from 1647 is found in the Protestant church of Illzach
today.
The main steeple houses the largest set of bells of any Protestant church in France. The five bells were cast in 1867 in Zurich
.
Reformed Church of France
The Reformed Church of France is a denomination in France with Calvinist origins. It is the original and largest Protestant denomination in France....
church of the city of Mulhouse
Mulhouse
Mulhouse |mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after...
in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Because of its central location on the main square of Mulhouse, the Place de la Réunion, and its 97 meter high bell tower (the highest steeple in the department of Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
), it is sometimes referred to as the "Cathedral of Mulhouse" (Cathédrale de Mulhouse). The church was designed by the city architect Jean-Baptiste Schacre
Jean-Baptiste Schacre
Jean-Baptiste Schacre , was a French architect.-Life:Born in Delle in 1808, Jean-Baptiste Schacre began his career in 1826 as a draftsman in the Ponts et Chaussées services...
, who also designed the large Catholic
Roman Catholicism in France
The Roman Catholic Church of France, sometimes called the "eldest daughter of the Church" owing to its early and unbroken communion with the bishop of Rome, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church...
St. Stephen's Church (Église Saint-Étienne).
History
Until 1858, the former parish church of St. Stephen stood at the location of the current building. The originally late RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
building from the 12th century was expanded at the beginning of the 14th century in the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style. A substantially higher choir was added to the nave. In 1510, the Romanesque bell tower was remodelled in the style of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. In 1707, the bell tower was crowned with an onion dome. In 1857, the city council of Mulhouse decided to replace the place of worship, which had come to be looked upon as dilapidated, by a new building. The city architect Schacre, who had already constructed the main synagogue of the city and the Catholic St. Stephen's Church, designed a church in the neo-Gothic style with a simple, rectangular ground plan without a transept and choir. In contrast to the long Catholic church, it was a squat, but very wide building. The bell tower, which is visible from quite a distance away, stands behind the building, in contrast to its model on the Freiburg Minster. The current church was built between 1859 and 1866. Since February 2009 and prospectively until late 2019, the church is subjected to a progressive restoration of all its exterior and interior parts. The work had started with the complete scaffolding of the steeple.
Furnishings
A considerable part of the furnishings of the previous building were used in the St. Stephen's church of Jean-Baptiste Schacre. The most important of all the artistic treasures of the city of Mulhouse are the large leaded-glassStained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows from 1320 to 1350, famous for their vivid design and rich colors. They were originally in the choir and were set into the clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
windows. The Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
choir stalls of dark oak are from 1637. The stone church monument
Church monument
A church monument is an architectural or sculptural memorial to a dead person or persons, located within a Christian church. It can take various forms, from a simple wall tablet to a large and elaborate structure which may include an effigy of the deceased person and other figures of familial or...
of Baron Friedrich Ludwig Waldner von Freundstein (1735), an important work of the local late Baroque period, was erected in the assembly room of the new church. Of the Silbermann organ made by Johann Andreas Silbermann
Johann Andreas Silbermann
Johann Andreas Silbermann was an 18th century organ-builder, as were his father Andreas Silbermann and his paternal uncle Gottfried Silbermann....
(1765), only the case remains; it was moved into the Protestant St. John's Church (Temple Saint-Jean) of the city, when the old church was torn down. The current organ comes from the workshop of Eberhard Friedrich Walcker, but has been altered many times since it was installed in 1866, especially by the Schwenkedel organ manufacturer. The Baroque pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
from 1647 is found in the Protestant church of Illzach
Illzach
Illzach is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is located in the north side of the Mulhouse metropolitan area, and forms part of the Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération, the inter-communal local government body for that area....
today.
The main steeple houses the largest set of bells of any Protestant church in France. The five bells were cast in 1867 in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
.