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Church of Saints Peter and Paul of Merxheim dans le Haut-Rhin

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Eglise
Eglise romane
Haut-Rhin

Church of Saints Peter and Paul of Merxheim

    Rue de Guebwiller
    68500 Merxheim
Crédit photo : Rauenstein - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1100
1200
1700
1800
1900
2000
2e quart du XIe siècle
Construction of the bell tower
1736
Middle bell font
1771-1772
Reconstruction nave and choir
1921
Makes bells Odile and Sébastien
19 décembre 1973
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Clocher (Case 2 46): Order of 19 December 1973

Key figures

Jean-Baptiste Chassin - Architect Directed the reconstruction of 1771-1772.
Pantaléon Frey - Curé of Merxheim (1736) Mentioned on the middle bell.
Jean-Georges Holder - Registrar and sponsor (1736) Name engraved on the bell.
F. et A. Causard - Bell founders (1921) Authors of the bells Odile and Sébastien.

Origin and history

The church Saints-Pierre-et-Paul de Merxheim, classified as a historical monument since 1973, is an architectural testimony of the 2nd quarter of the 11th century. Its Romanesque bell tower, the only vestige of the first church built at the end of the 11th century, consists of three floors in pink sandstone, decorated with arched friezes and geminated windows. This bell tower once housed a sepulchral ditch, revealing traces of an ancient cemetery and a coffin.

The current nave and choir, rebuilt in 1771-1772 under the direction of architect Jean-Baptiste Chassin, replaced the original medieval structures. The bell tower preserves three bells marked by local history: the middle bell, melted in 1736, bears a Latin inscription evoking the Trinity and the donors of the period, including the parish priest Pantaléon Frey. The other two bells, cast in 1921 by F. and A. Causard, pay homage to Saint Odile (Patron of Alsace) and Saint Sebastian, with details on their sponsors and benefactors.

The building, located on Rue de Guebwiller in the Upper Rhine, illustrates the architectural and religious evolution of the region, mixing Romanesque heritage and 18th century transformations. Its classification protects in particular the bell tower, symbol of the sepulchral and community memory of Merxheim, where the ancient cemetery once surrounded the church.

External links