Temple St.-Etienne
on
Place de Reunion

Temple St.-Etienne
Mulhouse, France

"With a population of 112,063 in 2013 and 284,739 inhabitants in the metropolitan area^[2]in 2012, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhindépartement...Mulhouse;... is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders.

"Mulhouse is famous for its museums, especially the Cité de l’Automobile  and the Musée Français du Chemin de Ferrespectively the largest automobile and railway museums in the world. 

"...the first written records of the town date from the twelfth century....it became a part of France in the Treaty of Mulhousesigned on 28 January 1798,,,,

"The town's development was stimulated first by the expansion of the textile industry and tanning, and subsequently by chemical and engineering industries from the mid 18th century. Mulhouse was for a long time called the French Manchester. Consequently, the town has enduring links with Louisiana, from which it imported cotton,..." (Link 1.)

Temple St.-Etienne

"The origin of the Saint-Etienne temple is very old. A new style building novel is dedicated in 1186 . In 1351 , the choir , rebuilt in the Gothic style , is in turn consecrated.

"The collaterals are rebuilt in 1504 . The tower is elevated in 1510 .

In 1523 , persecuted in the region by the Protestants, Catholics were then driven from the Saint-Etienne church to give place to the Reformed cult. The tower has a baroque bulb in 1707 . The temple is destroyed in 1858.

"In the middle of the xix ^th  century, the city council decided to build a new building. The neo-Gothic plans are made by architect Jean-Baptiste Schacre . The first stone is laid in 1859 . The official inauguration of the building took place in 1866 .

Temple St.-Etienne Spire

"The spire of the bedside tower is 97 meters high. It is not only the highest bell tower of the Haut-Rhin but also the highest Protestant bell tower in France.

"The temple has been classified as a historical monument since 27 July 1995 1 .

"The temple is undergoing major exterior and interior restoration works, begun in February 2009 and planned to last until 2019. This work, which must eventually cover the entire building, began with the complete scaffolding of the bell tower.

"Among the works of art recovered from the old church, particular include the exceptional set of stained glass windows of the xiv ^th  century.

• 

  David kills Goliath (stained glass)
 
• 

  David kills 800 enemies
 
• 

  Babel Tower

"When drawing the plans for the church, the architect Schacre was required to reserve them a prime location.

"The building has also kept stalls from 1637.

"The rest of the furniture dates from the construction. The organ of the Walcker Manufactory in Ludwigsburg dating back to 1866, which includes since its enlargement in 1953 a total of 70 games, is worth noting . The small choir organ of the Guerrier manufacture of Willer dates from 1978 . The owner of these instruments is Olivier Wyrwas.

"The high tower is also home to the largest bells of Protestant bells in France, cast in 1867 in Zurich ."(Link 2.)

***************

Photos: Taken in June 2018 with an Iphone by Richard Wilson while living and 
               working in Basel Switzerland.
Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulhouse
Link 2: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Saint-%C3%89tienne_de_Mulhouse

                                                                            Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)