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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Protestant Church of St. Lawrence of Dorlisheim, located on Rue de l'Église in the Lower Rhine, is a building dating back to the twelfth century. Its nave, built in the second half of this century, is inspired by the church of Rosheim. The monument consists of a central ship of four spans, bordered by low-sided and a square choir flanked by two chapels. The original vaults of the central ship, rebuilt in the Gothic era, contrast with the arches of primitive ridges of the lower side. The bell tower, located to the west, and the Romanesque sculptures of the western gate and the interior are attributed to a sculptor who also worked in Rosheim, Avolsheim and Saverne.

In the 13th or 14th century, the choir, eastern chapels and the tower were rebuilt, reusing the Romanesque sculptures of the bedside. The church was united with the Cistercian Abbey of Haute-Seille in 1225, after the latter acquired the right of patronage. The Reformation was introduced around 1525 by the City of Strasbourg, which had rights over Dorlisheim. In 1622 the church suffered a fire caused by the soldiers of the Count of Mansfeld, destroying the pulpit and altar. A restoration took place in 1624, as evidenced by a vintage painted on a doubleau, and decorative paintings of the vaults, restored in the twentieth century, could date from this period.

The simultaneum, established in 1685, allowed Catholics and Protestants to share the building until 1888. Consolidation work was carried out in 1735-1737 to remedy water infiltrations that weakened the vaults and the south wall. The roofs of the coasts were changed several times, notably in 1882-1884 and 1888, when the simultaneum ended. During this last renovation, the old bays were replaced by larger windows. Classified as a historical monument in 1994, the church preserves architectural and decorative elements from the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as paintings from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

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