Protestant Church of Leiterswiller à Hoffen dans le Bas-Rhin

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Origin and history

The Protestant church of Leiterswiller, located in Hoffen in Lower Rhine, is a monument dating back to the late 15th century. In 1724, the suffragan bishop of Strasbourg observed his total destruction during a pastoral visit, encouraging the inhabitants, mostly Catholics, to seek financial assistance for his reconstruction. The parish records of Rittershoffen and Hatten confirm its inuse until 1736, when it was rebuilt by the Catholic parish of Hatten, while preserving remains of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Between 1736 and 1897, the church operated under the simultaneum regime, shared between Catholics and Protestants, as evidenced by a Protestant baptism registered in 1738. During the Revolution, its Protestant use was confirmed, although irregular service periods may have existed. The simultaneum ended in 1897 with the inauguration of a new Catholic church, leaving the choir of the building to Protestants. The designated cemetery, originally adjacent to the church (south side, marked by a cross of 1784), is moved later.

Ranked a historic monument in 1924, the church preserves ancient architectural elements, such as the door of the sacristy and the triumphal arch of the 15th century. His choir, initially vaulted, was replaced by a ceiling, and panelling covered the nave. Local parish registers and cadastral plans (such as that of 1825) document its evolution, as well as the funeral and religious practices of surrounding villages, served by the parish priests of Stundwiller, Schœnenbourg, Hatten and the pastoralists of Oberbetschdorf or Rittershoffen.

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