Saint Nicholas Church, Strasbourg (french: Église Saint Nicolas) is a small
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
church in
Strasbourg, France.
Jean Calvin led services and preached at this church in 1538.
Albert Schweitzer was the pastor of the church from 1900 to 1913 and used to play the organ there.
The Church no longer functions as a parish church, due to the decline of the population of the centre of Strasbourg. Today it is used by a
Charismatic
Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects.
Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...
group called "Renouveau Saint Nicholas". The charismatic group, led by the pastors Daniel Hebert and Pastor Ringerbach, began renting the church for their Sunday services in 1975.
However, the Church remains affiliated to the
Protestant Church of Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine (EPCAAL).
History
The church was built between 1387 and 1454 on the site of an earlier church dedicated to
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...
. This earlier church, which dated from 1182, was founded by the Knight Walther Spender and had been built on the site of a small Roman fort. The tower with its tapering spire was erected in 1585. The interior was remodelled during the 17th century. The façade and the
sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is usually located ...
, which date from 1905, are by Émile Salomon, the architect of the
Temple Neuf Temple Neuf may refer to:
* Temple Neuf, Metz
* Temple Neuf, Strasbourg
The Temple Neuf in Strasbourg is a Lutheran church built on the site of the former Dominican convent where Meister Eckhart studied. The Temple was constructed at the end ...
in Strasbourg.
While Schweitzer was pastor at the Church, on 11 April 1908 he celebrated the wedding of
Elly Knapp and
Theodor Heuss, who went on to become President of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The interior contains remains of 15th-century frescoes.
The 1707 organ of the brothers
Andreas and
Gottfried Silbermann was dismantled in 1967.
References
* ''Dictionnaire historique des rues de Strasbourg'' - 2002. - Maurice Moszberger, Théodore Riger and Léon Daul -
External links
Renouveau Saint Nicholas
{{Church buildings in central Strasbourg
Nicholas
Nicholas is a male given name and a surname.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...
Gothic architecture in Strasbourg
Monuments historiques of Strasbourg