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Origin and history

The St. Anne's church of Turckheim, located in the Upper Rhine (Great East), is a building with various architectural influences, built from the late 12th century (circa 1190). Originally dedicated to the Virgin, it was renamed in 1652 in honour of Saint Anne. Its first structures already blended Romanesque art (doors in the middle, mouldings) and Gothic (dogive vaults, broken arches), reflecting a period of stylistic transition. The bell tower, the oldest element, has a 12th century base in yellow sandstone, surmounted by 13th and 15th century levels, characterized by twined bays and trilobed arches.

In 1837, the original nave and choir were destroyed and rebuilt in a neoclassical style by the departmental architect Félix Griois and entrepreneur Valentin Ruscher. Only the bell tower, with two spans from the south side, was preserved and integrated into the new structure. This bell tower, joined to the nave of the 19th century, preserves traces of its medieval history, like a door in the middle decorated with relief motifs (stars, half-spheres) and a tympanum marked with a cross. The higher levels, in pink sandstone, illustrate the evolution of architectural techniques between the 13th and 15th centuries.

A fire in 1978 severely damaged the nave, requiring restoration completed in 1981. The ground floor of the bell tower was restored in 1985. The church, inscribed in historical monuments since 1930 (for its turn), thus embodies almost nine centuries of history, between medieval heritage, modern transformations and resilience to the hazards of time.

Architecturally, the current building juxtaposes pink sandstone columns supporting the central ship, a hemicycle choir, and side thermal windows. The triumphal arch in the middle and the boudin vaults of the lower side recall the Gothic phases, while the ceiling nave and the reconstructions of the 19th century testify to the adaptations to the liturgical and aesthetic needs of later periods.

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