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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint-Maurice church of Willgottheim, classified as a historical monument since 1900, is located in the Bas-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region. It dominates the village and still retains its original cemetery. Its architecture combines a rectangular nave and a square choir, with a 12th century tower, the only vestige of the primitive building. The exterior facades, adorned with friezes and lesenes, reveal trimmings in cut stone and rubble, while the bays and belfry bear witness to successive stylistic evolutions.

The construction of the tower is estimated between 1170 and 1180, with visible traces of the initial walls of the nave made of cut stone. The nave was rebuilt in 1494, as attests to the south door decorated with carved motifs (pastal lamb, cross, stars) and signed by Mathieu Swen, stone tailor or sculptor. In 1730, the nave, considered old, was replaced by a new structure completed in 1732 and expanded in 1828-1829. Major restorations took place in 1904 under the direction of architect Heinrich Hannig, including the removal of the vault of the choir.

The building preserves remarkable elements such as a 12th century gable crossette, representing a head, and a fragment of monumental crosses reused on the west gable. The chapel of Mont des Oliviers, built in brick, dates from 1893. The church thus illustrates nearly 900 years of architectural and religious history, marked by reconstructions and additions reflecting the needs and styles of each era.

Ranked in 1900 for its tower, the Saint-Maurice church remains a major testimony of the Alsatian heritage, mixing Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque influences. Its cemetery and 19th century chapel complete a historical complex still at the heart of local life. The consolidation works and architectural modifications, such as the removal of the vault of the choir or the enhancement of the ground, highlight the continuous adaptations of this place of worship throughout the centuries.

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