Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of St. Nicholas of Sarreguemines has its origins in the 14th century with a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, built in 1392 at the foot of the Schlossberg. This first building, which became too small and old for the 1,650 parishioners of Sarreguemines in the mid-18th century, was replaced by a new church. The construction decision was taken in July 1754 by Abbé Stein, Prior of Wadgassen Abbey, and Abbé Ferange, parish priest of Neunkirch. The work, begun in 1764, led to the blessing of the church on 21 March 1768 by Father Antoine Dambrun.

The church's architecture, built in Vosges sandstone, blends a sober exterior of classical style with an interior richly decorated in a baroque style. His remarkable elements include an oak Pietà carved in 1663, as well as three paintings by Januarius Zick depicting The Nativity, The Resurrection of Christ and The Descent of the Cross. The stained glass windows, destroyed during the bombings of the two world wars, were replaced in 1946 by the creations of Janin de Nancy. The furniture, including woodwork and confessionals, dates mostly from the 19th century.

A fire in August 1990 severely damaged the building, including the organs acquired in 1769 from the Jesuits of Pont-à-Mousson. The latter, restored by the organ builder Koenig of Saar-Union, today bear witness to the region's musical and religious heritage. The church, emblematic of Sarreguemines, thus illustrates the architectural and artistic evolutions of Lorraine throughout the centuries.

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