Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Sainte-Barbe church in Wittenheim, classified as a historical monument since 1993, is located on Rue Bruat in this commune of the Haut-Rhin. It was built between 1928 and 1929 under the leadership of Pierre de Retz, the first general manager of the Potasse d'Alsace (MDPA) mines, to serve the Sainte-Barbe mining city. Its architecture, signed by Georges Debut, architect of the CDMA, is inspired by Alsatian medieval sanctuaries and Paleo-Christian basilicas, with a predominance of red bricks.

The interior decoration, entrusted to George Desvallières, master of religious art of the time, is a remarkable ensemble. Desvallières, then 69 years old, realized the path of the cross (considered as his masterpiece), the cul-de-four de l'abside (Glorification of Sainte-Barbe), and designed the cartons of stained glass painted by Marguerite Huré. His students, Ambroselli and Isorni, paint the Ten Commandments in the upper nave. The large deep rose was laid in September 1930.

The church also houses a statue of Sainte-Barbe, carved in 1937 by Pierre Klein and painted by Robert Gall, both related to the Sacred Art Workshops. Gall, collaborator of Desvallières, also participates in the decoration of the chapel of the baptismal fonts and supervises the post-Second World War restoration. The building, owned by the commune since 1995, benefited in 2010 from a restoration of its cross path and choir by the Strasbourg specialists Francine and François Péquignot.

Classified as a historical monument on 21 January 1993, the church illustrates the alliance between industrial heritage and sacred art. Its history reflects the commitment of the CDMA to the social life of minors, while marking the climax of modern religious art in Alsace. The mining city Theodore, of which it is the spiritual center, bears witness to the paternalist urbanism of the 1920s-1930s.

The available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) highlight its unique architecture, combining Alsatian heritage and stylistic innovations, as well as the richness of its iconography, the fruit of a collaboration between artists and industrialists. Today, it remains a symbol of the cultural and historical heritage of the Far East.

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