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Key figures

Origin and history

The Assumption de la Vierge church, located in Schmittviller, Moselle department, was built in 1866 to replace a chapel built in 1821. This place of worship, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, marks an important step in the local religious history, especially after the village became an independent parish in 1837, detaching itself from Rahling.

The interior of the church houses a modern polychrome white wood statuary, acquired over the centuries from Tyrolean manufacturers. Among the notable pieces, a statue of painted and gilded wood dating from the second half of the eighteenth century, representing the Immaculate Conception, would come from the old chapel. His style, marked by an oval face, an elongated neck and a restless drape, suggests an Alsatian influence.

Around the church, the cemetery preserves a sandstone calvary erected in 1844 by Johannes Miller, former schoolmaster of the village. This monument, isolated in the local production of the period, brings together the instruments of the Passion and a naive representation of a fall of Christ. Miller had already raised a cross in 1837 to commemorate the arrival of the parish's first parish priest, highlighting his commitment to local religious life.

The 1844 calvary preceded by two decades the fashion of the ecotized crosses, typical of the region. His iconography and style reflect a popular devotion rooted in local traditions, while integrating distinct artistic elements, such as the concentration of the Passion symbols on the cask of the cross.

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