🏛️ Lieu
Patrimoine & Culture
L'église catholique Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune
📍 Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin
· 7 rue Saint-Leon, 67000 Strasbourg
À propos
Built after the German annexation, this impressive pink sandstone church is topped by an imposing dome - the largest in Alsace. Built between 1889 and 1893, it is one of the Neustadt's greatest architectural achievements.
With the strong demographic growth of the 19th century, especially after 1871, the Catholic parish, which until then had shared the first Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune church with Protestants, was running out of space. Architects Skjold Neckelmann and August Hartel (who also designed the nearby courthouse and university library) were commissioned to build the new church.
In the spirit of architectural eclecticism of their time, they harmoniously combined styles, drawing both on Romanesque art (notably the great Rhenish basilicas) and, for the plan and dome, on references to the Renaissance (particularly St. Peter's in Rome).
The interior of the church is impressive for its sheer volume. In the axis of the church, the great choir is elevated and surrounded by an ambulatory that gives access to the apsidal chapels.
The magnificent chandelier in the center of the church is representative of the skill of late 19th-century goldsmiths. It is the work of Eugène Braun and symbolizes the heavenly Jerusalem, with its twelve gates and twelve apostles.
The pulpit's design and decoration make it one of the church's jewels. Created by Colmar-based sculptor Théophile Klem, it comprises a bowl resting on six columns supported by lions. The angel, lions, capitals, human heads, door and Byzantine-inspired mosaics testify to the skill of the artists of the period.
The main choir is dominated by a large mosaic whose panels depict several scenes from the life of Jesus.
To the right of the choir, the statue of "The Mystic Rose" is a masterpiece of finesse. Its sculptor, Henri Waderé, born in Colmar, was one of the finest of his time. The statue, in Carrara marble, delicately renders the graceful curves of the body and the drape of the garment.
Like the Saint-Paul church built at the same time, the monumental architecture of Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune and its setting in the urban landscape make it a prestigious, structuring element for the town.
With the strong demographic growth of the 19th century, especially after 1871, the Catholic parish, which until then had shared the first Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune church with Protestants, was running out of space. Architects Skjold Neckelmann and August Hartel (who also designed the nearby courthouse and university library) were commissioned to build the new church.
In the spirit of architectural eclecticism of their time, they harmoniously combined styles, drawing both on Romanesque art (notably the great Rhenish basilicas) and, for the plan and dome, on references to the Renaissance (particularly St. Peter's in Rome).
The interior of the church is impressive for its sheer volume. In the axis of the church, the great choir is elevated and surrounded by an ambulatory that gives access to the apsidal chapels.
The magnificent chandelier in the center of the church is representative of the skill of late 19th-century goldsmiths. It is the work of Eugène Braun and symbolizes the heavenly Jerusalem, with its twelve gates and twelve apostles.
The pulpit's design and decoration make it one of the church's jewels. Created by Colmar-based sculptor Théophile Klem, it comprises a bowl resting on six columns supported by lions. The angel, lions, capitals, human heads, door and Byzantine-inspired mosaics testify to the skill of the artists of the period.
The main choir is dominated by a large mosaic whose panels depict several scenes from the life of Jesus.
To the right of the choir, the statue of "The Mystic Rose" is a masterpiece of finesse. Its sculptor, Henri Waderé, born in Colmar, was one of the finest of his time. The statue, in Carrara marble, delicately renders the graceful curves of the body and the drape of the garment.
Like the Saint-Paul church built at the same time, the monumental architecture of Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune and its setting in the urban landscape make it a prestigious, structuring element for the town.
