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Origin and history

The Saint-Étienne church of Strasbourg, located in St. Stephen's Square in the historical centre, occupies a site originally dedicated to Mercury under the Roman Empire. Transformed into a Christian sanctuary from the fourth century, it houses a basilica in the fifth century, then the first cathedral in Strasbourg in the seventh century under the impulse of Bishop Arbogast. The Benedictine Abbey, founded in 718 by Duke Adalbert of Alsace, preserves Roman remains in its crypt. A controversial charter of 845 evokes its foundation in 722, but excavations also reveal a Merovingian apse under the old tower.

Rebuilt in Romano-Gothic style in 1220, the church became a chapter of canonesses in the 11th century. In 1541, the latter adopted the Protestant Reformation, marking a break with episcopal authority. After the siege of Strasbourg by Louis XIV in 1681, the abbey returned to Catholic life in 1687, successively welcoming Antonins, then Visitandines from 1702. The latter founded a boarding school for young nobles in 1718, before their expulsion in 1792. The church, devoid of a bell tower in 1802, was converted into a municipal theatre in 1805, then into a small seminary from 1821 to 1874.

During the Second World War Hitler banned worship at Strasbourg Cathedral in 1940, transferring the offices to St. Stephen's Church. The Allied bombings of September 1944 destroyed much of the building, leaving only the choir and nave intact. Rebuilt in 1961 with a modern nave and a bossy façade, it has been home to Curt Schwenkedel (1963) organ since 2016. Among his treasures are the reliquary of Saint Attale, the first abbess and daughter of Duke Adalbert.

Ranked a historical monument in 1862, the church celebrates its 1,300 years of history in 2018, bearing witness to the religious, political and architectural upheavals of Strasbourg, from antiquity to the present day.

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