Saint Lawrence Church of Hesingue dans le Haut-Rhin

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Origin and history

The Saint-Laurent church in Hesingue is a Catholic building located in the Haut-Rhin department in the Grand Est region. It is distinguished by its 42-metre bell tower, the highest building in the municipality, and its central location in the heart of the village, along the departmental road D 419. Its current architecture results from a major reconstruction in the 18th century, while preserving traces of a medieval past.

The first records of a church in Hesingue date back to 1302, but the present building was erected in 1773, replacing a medieval building. That same year, the high altar was installed, and an act of consecration signed by Jean-Baptiste Gobel, then bishop-auxiliary of Basel, was discovered in 1963 in a lead box hidden in the old altar. The nave was enlarged and the bell tower built in 1839, marking the culmination of the main architectural transformations.

In 1963, renovations revealed a parchment dating from 1773, attesting to the dedication of the altar by Jean-Baptiste Gobel. This historical document, preserved in a lead box, offers a rare testimony of religious practices and rituals of the time. The church, still active, thus embodies almost three centuries of local history, mixing medieval heritage and Baroque evolutions.

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