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Origin and history

The building at 3 rue des Jardins and 3 rue de l'Hôpital in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines (Haut-Rhin) is a civilian building dating from the 1st quarter of the 17th century. It is distinguished by two doors in Stabwerk, architectural style of the late Renaissance, one of which bears the date 1616 engraved on the lintel. These decorative elements, with columns carved with spirals and vegetal motifs, would come from the ancient parish church of Obernai, rebuilt the same year by Christophe Wambser, an architect known for his work on Alsatian religious buildings.

The two doors, of different sizes (270x265 cm and 280x147 cm), retain remarkable details: one has an ancient pilaster vantail decorated with oval medallions and rounded capitals. Their style and tasker marks identical to those of the Leonardsau portal (Obernai) suggest a common origin. These chambranles, inscribed in historical monuments since 1934, illustrate the re-use of architectural elements between religious and civil buildings in Alsace at the beginning of the seventeenth century.

The building, formerly linked to the Narbey Foundation and the Streissguth Villa, now houses the Sainte-Geneviève School. Its location in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, a city marked by its mining past and Renaissance heritage, makes it a rare testimony to the architectural art of the region. The doors, with their sophisticated décor, reflect the influence of local workshops and artistic exchanges between Alsatian cities such as Obernai and Molsheim.

The 1934 protection specifically concerns these two 17th century gates, highlighting their historical and aesthetic value. Their presence in a civilian building emphasizes the permeability between sacred and secular spaces at that time, as well as the reuse of noble materials in later constructions. This monument thus offers a light on architectural practices and the networks of artisans in Alsace at the beginning of the seventeenth century.

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