Old St. Peter's Church, Strasbourg, France

The Church of Old Saint Peter's in Strasbourg is first mentioned in 1130. On 22 May 1398 the Chapter of the Abbey of Honau, which had been in Rhinau since 1290, moved to Old St Peter's because of flooding in Rhinau. The Chapter stayed there until 1529, conducting its services in the choir, while the parish occupied the nave. When the Catholic rite was restored in 1683, the Chapter returned to the Church and stayed there until 1790, when it was wound up.

On 20 February 1529, when Strasbourg openly joined the Reformation and suspended the practice of the mass, the Church became Lutheran. Martin Bucer and the other Strasbourg reformers had campaigned for several years to have Protestant services in all of Strasbourg's churches, but in 1525 the city council had voted to retain the mass in several churches, including Old St Peter's. In 1535, in the context of the Reform, a Latin school, or 'Middle school' was opened at Old Saint Peters.

In 1683, two years after the annexation of Strasbourg by France, Louis XIV ordered that part of the Church be returned to the Catholics and that a wall be constructed inside the church by the rood screen, to restrict the Protestant services to the Nave. It was not until 2012 that a door was opened in this dividing wall.

In the 19th century, the Catholic part of the Church was extended. The extension was designed by the architect Conrath and opened in 1867.

The Catholic Church contains relics of Brigit of Kildare as well as a number of important works of art classified as Monuments historiques such as the 'Cycle of the Passion of Christ', a series of ten Gothic paintings by Heinrich Lutzelmann (1485), the 'Scenes from the Life of St Peter' an (incomplete) series of four wooden early Renaissance or late Gothic reliefs made around 1500 and a series of four 1504 paintings depicting 'Scenes of the Life of Christ after the Resurrection'.

The Lutheran part of the church, presently owned and used by a congregation within the Protestant Church of Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine, also features some notable works of art, among which the wooden Renaissance relief 'Holy Family' (1520s) by Hans Wydyz, classified as a Monument historique.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Lizzy (2 years ago)
Belle église où on a le privilège de pouvoir adorer le saint Sacrement, toujours présent au niveau de la fresque de Notre Dame du perpétuel Secours. On peut aussi y écouter régulièrement des concerts d'orgues qui donnent de la vie au bâtiment et au culte qui s'y rend. Il est cependant dommage que l'Église soit souvent fermée avant 18h30, et pas à 19h comme indiqué sur le site et que les horaires d'ouverture pour les gens de passage ne soient pas plus visibles.

Tatiana Fleury (2 years ago)
Église originale car il y a d'un côté la partie catholique et d'un autre côté la partie protestante !

Charles Dirnberger (2 years ago)
Mon église paroissiale depuis toujours ! Baptême, première communion, confirmation, communion solennelle... J'y ai tout fait... Et je compte aussi y faire mes adieux sur terre pour mes funérailles. J'y ai vécu des moments de joie (Baptêmes, mariage, communions... de mes proches, mais aussi des moments de tristesse et d'adieu : grand mère, parents, oncle et tante et mon cher cousin. Mais à chaque fois, le Seigneur est là pour nous soutenir et nous donner la force et le courage de continuer !

Dylan Cam (3 years ago)
Beautiful church

MissSJ (3 years ago)
Bricks of different colours give the look of this grandiose Catholic Church a brillant glow.

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Heraclea Lyncestis

Heraclea Lyncestis was an ancient Greek city in Macedon, ruled later by the Romans. It was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles. The name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.

Heraclea was a strategically important town during the Hellenistic period, as it was at the edge of Macedon"s border with Epirus to the west and Paeonia to the north, until the middle of the 2nd century BC, when the Romans conquered Macedon and destroyed its political power. The main Roman road in the area, Via Egnatia went through Heraclea, and Heraclea was an important stop. The prosperity of the city was maintained mainly due to this road.

The Roman emperor Hadrian built a theatre in the center of the town, on a hill, when many buildings in the Roman province of Macedonia were being restored. It began being used during the reign of Antoninus Pius. Inside the theatre there were three animal cages and in the western part a tunnel. The theatre went out of use during the late 4th century AD, when gladiator fights in the Roman Empire were banned, due to the spread of Christianity, the formulation of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the abandonment of, what was then perceived as, pagan rituals and entertainment.

Late Antiquity and Byzantine periods

In the early Byzantine period (4th to 6th centuries AD) Heraclea was an important episcopal centre. A small and a great basilica, the bishop"s residence, and a funerary basilica and the necropolis are some of the remains of this period. Three naves in the Great Basilica are covered with mosaics of very rich floral and figurative iconography; these well preserved mosaics are often regarded as fine examples of the early Christian art period.

The city was sacked by Ostrogoth/Visigoth forces, commanded by Theodoric the Great in 472 AD and again in 479 AD. It was restored in the late 5th and early 6th century. When an earthquake struck in 518 AD, the inhabitants of Heraclea gradually abandoned the city. Subsequently, at the eve of the 7th century, the Dragovites, a Slavic tribe pushed down from the north by the Avars, settled in the area. The last coin issue dates from ca. 585, which suggests that the city was finally captured by the Slavs. As result, in place of the deserted city theatre several huts were built.

The Episcopacy Residence was excavated between 1970 and 1975. The western part was discovered first and the southern side is near the town wall. The luxury rooms are located in the eastern part. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th rooms all have mosaic floors. Between the 3rd and 4th rooms there is a hole that led to the eastern entrance of the residence. The hole was purposefully created between the 4th and 6th century.

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