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Origin and history

The church Saint-Benoît de Walschbronn, located in the Moselle department, is a religious building dedicated to Saint Benedict de Nursie. Originally, it was the centre of a large parish of about 20 annexations until the French Revolution. In 1802 it was attached to the archiprired of Volmunster, with its annexes to Dorst and Waldhouse. The building, which had become too small, was destroyed in 1754 and rebuilt in 1785, while retaining its bell tower of 1754, later enhanced by parishioners.

The church, church-grange type with a polygonal bedside, is 43 meters long, 14 meters wide and 9.5 meters high. Its bell tower peaks at 33 meters and houses four bells, melted in 1949 by the Maison Blanchet de Bagnolet. Damaged during World War II, it was later restored. Its interior houses a 12-ton white marble master altar dedicated in 1899, as well as 20th-century stained glass windows made by the artist Bassinot de Nancy.

Among the remarkable elements are a golden silver chalice of the sixteenth century, bearing an enigmatic inscription attributed to Brother Henri Mosheim. The baptismal fonts date from the 18th century, while the lateral altars, replaced in 1998, are works carved in oak by the Reiser establishments of Soucht. The organ, blessed in 1956 and restored in 2007, completes this religious and artistic heritage.

The church plays a central role in local community life, as evidenced by the collective sponsorship of bells by families, young people and children in the villages of Walschbronn, Waldhouse and Dorst. Successive restorations, including stained glass windows in 2011, highlight the continued attachment to this place of worship and memory.

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