The

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Saint

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

(french: Église paroissiale Saint-Jean Baptiste), formerly

Collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by ...

Saint Florentius (''Collégiale Saint-Florent'') is the main church of the small city of Niederhaslach in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

. The building is widely considered one of the finest and most ornate examples of

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

and

Gothic art Gothic art was a style of medieval art that developed in Northern France out of Romanesque art in the 12th century AD, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, and much of Northern, Southern and ...

in the

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...

departement of France In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...

.''HB Kunstführer Straßburg - Colmar - Elsaß'', 1986,

History

The church, which was originally dedicated to Florentius of Strasbourg,

bishop of Strasbourg {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 These persons were bishop, archbishop or prince-bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Strasbourg (including historically Prince-Bishopric of Strasbourg): Bishops and prince-bishops * Amandus *Justinus ...

from 618–624, was built from 1274 on as a replacement for a building from the 7th century that had been the shrine since 810 (by order of bishop Ratho) of relics of the Saint. The new church was under construction until 1385: a fire on 4 June 1287 that destroyed everything but the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

as well as the accidental death of the architect Gerlach von Steinbach (the son of Erwin von Steinbach) in 1330 had slowed down its completion. The church was plundered during the German Peasants' War in 1525 and on 6 June 1633, it was burned by

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

mercenaries during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

. The building was neglected during the following two centuries and even served as a slaughterhouse in 1744. The

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, however, spared the church, but dissolved the chapter to which it belonged. The church was thoroughly restored from 1853 to 1887 by architects Émile Boeswillwald and Charles Winkler, and again from 1990 to 2006. Niederhaslach's church is listed as a '' Monument historique'' since 1846 by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...

Furnishing

Stained glass windows

Niederhaslach's church prides itself with one of the most complete and well preserved/restored collections of medieval stained glass windows in Alsace after

Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, or ''Cathédrale de Strasbourg'', german: Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg or ''Straßburger Münster''), also known as Strasbourg ...

. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and choir display a large number of windows from the 13th and 14th century, remarkable for their shining nuances of blue and red and the number and variety of represented human figures. They represent the life of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

as well as of

. The most famous window, being the most original in its design, is the one showing the predication of John the Baptist, the central figure being displayed life-sized. The

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

shows a rose window of the year 1325.

Sculptures

Outside * Grand portal of 1310 representing the Annunciation, the

Coronation of Mary The Coronation of the Virgin or Coronation of Mary is a subject in Christian art, especially popular in Italy in the 13th to 15th centuries, but continuing in popularity until the 18th century and beyond. Christ, sometimes accompanied by God the ...

and the Legend of Saint Florentius * Numerous gargoyles all around the building in the shape of humans and beasts * Remains of the cemetery: tombstones of clerical people from the 14th to the 18th century *

Bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

"Christ on the

Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...

" (1492). Inside * Representation of the Holy Sepulchre (14th century); tombstone of Gerlach von Steinbach (1330) * Keystones of the Gothic vault * Late medieval tomb of bishop Ratho * Choir stalls (1691) * Reliquary of Saint Florentius (1714) * Life-sized group of statues "Crucifixion scene" (1740)

Pipe organ

On the inside of the façade is a pipe organ from 1903.The Rinkenbach pipe organ

Gallery

File:Collégiale Saint-Florent de Niederhaslach (1).jpg, Lateral view File:Stiftskirche Niederhaslach Tympanon.jpg, Tympanum of the main portal File:Stiftskirche Niederhaslach Langhaus.jpg, The nave looking towards the choir File:France Niederhaslach Collégiale Saint-Florent Christ au tombeau.jpg, Entombement of Christ File:Stiftskirche Niederhaslach Glasfenster (Kampf der Tugenden mit dem Laster).jpg, Stained glass window "Virtues fighting vices" File:Stiftskirche Niederhaslach Ölbergrelief.jpg, Relief "Christ on the Mount of Olives" File:Stiftskirche Niederhaslach Chorgestühl.jpg, Choir stalls File:Stiftskirche Niederhaslach Kanzel.jpg, Pulpit File:Stiftskirche Niederhaslach Seitenansicht.jpg,

Buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral ( ...

es File:Stiftskirche Niederhaslach Sakristei.jpg, Sacristy (14th century)

Dimensions

The known dimensions are as follows''Niederhaslach, sa collégiale'', anonymous publication (Authors: "J.S. - P.M.") of the ''Association des Amis de Saint-Florent'', 3rd trimester 1994. * Height of spire: * Length of central nave: * Total length:

Sources and references

External links

* * {{Authority control Churches in Bas-Rhin Monuments historiques of Bas-Rhin Roman Catholic churches in France Gothic architecture in France