The Temple Neuf in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

is a Lutheran church built on the site of the former Dominican convent where

Meister Eckhart Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart (), Master Eckhart or Eckehart, claimed original name Johannes Eckhart,

studied. The Temple was constructed at the end of the 19th century after the old Dominican Church was destroyed during the

Siege of Strasbourg The siege of Strasbourg took place during the Franco-Prussian War, and resulted in the French surrender of the fortress on 28 September 1870. After the German victory at Wörth, troops from the Grand Duchy of Baden under Prussian General ...

on the night of 24-25 August 1870, during the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

. The ensuing fire also destroyed the libraries of the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. Founded in the 16th century by Johannes Sturm, it was a center of intellectual life during ...

and the City of Strasbourg which were located at the Temple Neuf site. The Dominican convent had been built in 1260 and in 1538 the

Jean Sturm Gymnasium The Jean Sturm Gymnasium (, ) is a private Protestant school in Strasbourg, teaching children from the third year of secondary education through to the Baccalaureat. History The school, which was the precursor of the University of Strasbour ...

was attached. When Strasbourg became Protestant in 1590, the library of the Protestant seminary was transferred to the convent building. The current church building was built from 1874 to 1877 in pink sandstone and a

Neo-Romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

style. The architect was Emile Salomon. The name "Temple Neuf" is a translation of the German name "Neue Kirche" that the former Dominican Church had carried since 1681, when, with the annexation of Strasbourg by

Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, the Protestants had to leave

Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (, or ''Cathédrale de Strasbourg'', ), also known as Strasbourg Minster (church), Minster (), is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of ...

. The Church contains the tombstone of

Johannes Tauler Johannes Tauler OP ( – 16 June 1361) was a German mystic, a Catholic priest and a theologian. He belonged to the Dominican order. Tauler was known as one of the most important Rhineland mystics. He promoted a certain neo-platonist dimens ...

, the famous Dominicain mystic and preacher. The 1877 organ is by the famous German organ maker

Joseph Merklin Joseph Merklin (17 February 1819 – 10 July 1905) was a Baden-born Organ (music), organ builder who later became a French citizen. By the time of his retirement in 1898, he was a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur and had built, restored, or repa ...

References

External links

Website of the Temple Neuf parish

CDV Photos of Temple Neuf after bombing in Franco-Prussian War
Churches completed in 1870 Lutheran churches in Strasbourg Monuments historiques of Strasbourg {{Lutheran-church-stub