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Origin and history

The Saint-Étienne Temple in Mulhouse is an emblematic Protestant building built between 1859 and 1866 in a neo-Gothic style. With its highest arrow at 97 meters, it is the highest Protestant bell tower in France and an architectural symbol of the city. The building replaces a medieval church whose origins date back to the 12th century, with successive reconstructions in the 14th, 15th and 18th centuries. After the adoption of Protestantism by Mulhouse in 1523, the former St. Stephen's church became a reformed temple, before being destroyed in 1858 to give way to the present building.

The plans of the present temple are designed by architect Jean-Baptiste Schacre, who integrates historical elements such as 14th century stained glass windows saved from the old church. These stained glass windows, as well as 17th century stalls and an organ of 1866, testify to the heritage richness of the building. The tower also houses the largest bell ringing of Protestant bells in France, cast in 1867. Ranked a historic monument in 1995, the temple has undergone major restorations since 2009 to preserve its architecture and furniture.

The history of the temple reflects the religious and political upheavals of Mulhouse. First Catholic church under the protection of Emperor Frederick I, she became Protestant in the 16th century after the Reformation. The baroque bulb added to the tower in 1707 and the partial destruction in 1858 illustrate the successive adaptations of the building. Today, the Saint-Étienne temple remains an active place of worship, affiliated with the Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine, while being a major architectural heritage of the East.

Among the particularities of the temple are its sculpted decoration by Désiré Husson and its organ of the Walcker manufacture, enlarged in 1953 to reach 70 games. The small choir organ, added in 1978, completes this remarkable musical ensemble. The foundations of the medieval church, visible on the Place de la Réunion, recall the ancient origins of the site. The temple thus embodies both the medieval legacy of Mulhouse and its Protestant identity affirmed since the 16th century.

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