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Origin and history

The Protestant church of Schiltigheim, located at 24 Main Street, was built in the heart of the village in the eighteenth century by architect Samuel Werner. It replaces a medieval chapel linked to the Saint-Étienne Abbey in Strasbourg, attested from 1301 onwards. The present building incorporates Gothic elements, such as the 14th century bell tower and an epitaph of 1368, as well as Renaissance modifications (1588) by Bastien Schorndörfer, including the western gate and a choir connected by a triumphal arch.

The community of Schiltigheim adopted Protestantism in 1525, transforming the church into a Lutheran temple. From 1736 to 1899 it was divided between Catholics and Protestants (simultaneum), the choir being reserved for Catholics under the name of Saint Louis. Samuel Werner rebuilt the church in 1764-1765, preserving ancient structures, with an enlarged nave and a semicircular bedside. After 1899, the building became exclusively Protestant.

The church, registered with the Historical Monuments in 1993, is distinguished by its movable heritage: organ, sundial, epitaph of Jean Wintertur, and Protestant liturgical objects (calice, aiguières). The fir frame (3rd quarter of the 18th century) and the wrought iron spear date back to this reconstruction. The wrought iron fence (1900) and glass windows, including a monument to the dead of 1914-1918, complete its history.

The architecture combines classicism (pilasters, windows in the middle of the hanger) and medieval heritage (pigeon tower, bell tower geminied bays). Simultaneum, a common practice in Alsace, reflects post-Reform denominational tensions. After 1900, redevelopments (moving the chair, removing the sacristy) marked the end of this cult cohabitation.

The sources also point to the existence of an ancient parish church Saint Helena (XI century), known as "red church", razed in 1531. This site, close to the cemetery of the same name, was linked to the Abbey of Eschau. The conversion to Protestantism in 1525 and the destruction of St. Helena explain the transfer of parish functions to the present church.

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