The Église de l′Invention de la Sainte-Croix (″Church of the Discovery of the Holy Cross″) or, colloquially, Église Sainte-Croix (″Holy Cross Church″) is the mostly

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

of the small town of Kaysersberg, in the

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...

department of France. The church is situated on the Romanesque Road of Alsace thanks to its ornate

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

portal from ca. 1230–1235; it is classified as a

Monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...

since 1932. The Holy Cross Church was built in the first half of the 13th century, then expanded and modified in the 15th century, and finally partially modified again in the first half of the 19th century, when the steeple was crowned with its characteristic dome. The church is filled with notable artworks, all of which are classified as Monuments historiques. Chief among them are the large wooden

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors. When looking at artworks and ...

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

of the Passion of Jesus, a 1518 work by the

Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...

master Hans Bongart, with painted 1621 wings by an otherwise unknown Mathias Wuest; a large triumphal cross — height — from the late 15th century; a 1521 limewood relief of the

Lamentation of Christ The Lamentation of Christ is a very common subject in Christian art from the High Middle Ages to the Baroque. After Crucifixion of Jesus, Jesus was crucified, his Descent from the Cross, body was removed from the cross and his friends mourned over ...

; a 1514 sandstone Entombment of Christ; a 1720

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

; besides a substantial number of statues, altars, crucifixes, liturgical objects, and other items ranging from the 15th to the 19th century.

Gallery

Holy Cross church in Kaysersberg (9).jpg, Romanesque main portal (1230s) Kaysersberg SteCroix16.JPG, Altarpiece of the Passion (1518) Kaysersberg SteCroix29.JPG, Triumphal cross (1470s or 1480s) Kaysersberg SteCroix28.JPG, Lamentation of Christ (1521) Kaysersberg SteCroix25.JPG, Entombment of Christ (1514) Holy Cross church in Kaysersberg (8).jpg, Pipe organ (1720)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaysersberg Churches in Haut-Rhin Monuments historiques of Haut-Rhin Romanesque architecture in France Gothic architecture in France