Tithe house à Magstatt-le-Haut dans le Haut-Rhin

Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Magstatt-le-Haut tithe house, dated 1588, is an emblematic 16th century monument built of sandstone and coated stoneware. It embodies the architectural features of the large houses of this time, with a roof with long sections partially covered with mechanical tiles and biberschwanz, a half-croup, and a visible chimney strain. Its facades rise on four levels on the gables side and south façade, and five levels on the north side. The main access to the south is via a staircase leading to a courtyard leading to the tithe collection room. The windows, of two distinct epochs (XVIe with prominent sills, and XVIII/XIXe), as well as the stone cornice, testify to its architectural evolution.

The house retains remarkable outbuildings: two barns (one dated 1832 and signed), a major bread oven on the front, a distiller oven later added, and a fountain with well. The tithe collection room, partially heated, remained in an ancient state, preserving its original atmosphere. Owned by Jean Brunner, Mayor of Magstatt-le-Haut from 1793 to 1799, it also served as a field hospital during the Second World War. Classified as a Historic Monument in 2022, it illustrates both Alsatian rural heritage and functional adaptations throughout the centuries.

The building reflects the local social and economic organization, where tithe played a central role in community life. Its architecture, combining agricultural functions (granges, oven) and residential (logis, courtyard), shows the importance of tithe houses as pivots of the Alsatian villages. The presence of dated elements (1588, 1832) and subsequent modifications (windows, distilling furnaces) underscores a continuous occupation and varied uses, from the collection of royalties to medical functions in wartime.

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