Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The former church of St.Georges of Molsheim, located in the medieval city centre (now Market Square), was the parish church from 1371 to its destruction around 1780. Consecrated to Georges de Lydda, it replaced a 13th century chapel (mentioned in 1221) and became the parish seat before 1371, initially dependent on the Dompeter. Its architecture combined Romanesque and Gothic elements, with two pairs of distinctive towers: two round towers on the façade and two square-octogonal steeples with arrows, housing a carillon.

In 1530, a partial reconstruction (or expansion) was financed by four local notables, including Wolfgang de Landsberg and Samson de Rathsamhausen. In 1605 the choir was enlarged to accommodate the Grand Chapter of Strasbourg. With an organ before 1615, the old church was destroyed around 1780. His parish role was taken over by the Jesuit church (1617), which inherited its word and a four-ton bell, still visible in the Tower of the Forgerons.

Historical sources suggest an older origin than 1221, with clues pointing to a foundation between 1170 and 1180. The initial chapel, destroyed in 1530, was surrounded by a fortified cemetery as early as 1198. The Gothic building was distinguished by its twin towers and carillon, symbol of its religious and community importance in medieval and modern Alsace.

External links