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Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Foy de Sélestat, built in the 12th century in a Romanesque style, is the only vestige of the ancient priory of Benedictines, then of Jesuits. It is located in the heart of the city, near Saint George's Church and the Humanist Library. Founded around 1087 as the church of the Holy Sepulchre, it was rebuilt between 1152 and 1190 thanks to donations from Frédéric Barberousse. Hildegarde von Schlettstadt, German patron, donated it to the abbey of Sainte-Foy de Conques and was buried there in 1094. His coffin, found intact in 1892, suggested death by plague, although doubts remained about the identity of the moulded bust (Hildegarde or his daughter Adelaide).

The Benedictines occupied the priory until the 15th century, before the Jesuits took over in 1615. The latter transformed the building into a baroque style, adding stands in 1616-1617 and a school between 1742 and 1745. After their departure in 1765, the buildings were reassigned to civilian uses (housing, teaching). A major restoration took place between 1889 and 1893 under the direction of Charles Winkler, who removed the stands, raised the south tower and added neo-Roman elements. The original capitals, carved by stone tailors from Saint-Dié, present Celtic motifs similar to those of the Book of Kells.

The main portal, dating from the 12th century, preserves its original sculptures, including a Last Judgment and a Tetramorph on the tympanum. The northern gate, also Romanesque, was partially redone in the 19th century. Inside, a Baroque pulpit of 1733, classified as a historical monument, illustrates the life of Saint Francis Xavier. The stained glass windows represent local figures like Saint Leo IX and Saint Odile. The church also houses statues from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, including a Virgin of Pitié and a Holy Foy offered in 1871.

The organ, installed in 1892 by Martin Rinckenbach, was pneumatized in 1910 before falling into disuse. A choir organ, originally from Saint-Quirin Hospital, has been replacing him since 2002. The 18th-century Jesuit altars, dismantled in 1892, saw their elements dispersed (the Karlsruhe Museum, humanist library). The building, classified since 1862, bears witness to the Romanesque, Baroque and neo-Roman influences, as well as to the religious and cultural history of Alsace.

The priory possessed a copy of the Book of Miracles of St.Foy, a 12th century version kept in the Humanist Library. This manuscript, linked to Bernard d'Angers, relates the martyrdom of the saint and her miracles. The Jesuits founded a school there in 1621, now transformed into a primary school. The buildings, rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries, retain an original stairwell. The church, damaged during the wars, remains a symbol of the Alsatian heritage, mixing medieval history and modern restorations.

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