Jesuit Church, Molsheim

The George's and Holy Trinity Church ( Église Sainte- Trinité et -Saint -Georges ) is the parish church of the town of Molsheim in the Bas- Rhin, France, and the most important church of the 17th century in the Rhine Valley.

History

The church is commonly referred to because of their centuries-long role as Jesuit Church ( Église des Jésuites ). It was built in 1615-1617 by Christoph Wamser and consecrated on August 26, 1618. Wamsers building is regarded as one of the most representative examples of nachgotischer architecture. The church is run as a Monument historique since 1939 by the French Ministry of Culture.

Molsheim Jesuit college was founded in 1580 and was disbanded in 1765. 1618 to 1704 it served as a main Catholic University of Alsace and was more significant than the Lutheran University of Strasbourg. The construction of the church in 1614 funded by the Strasbourg Bishop Archduke Leopold V of Austria - Tyrol, on Leopoldi tag. (15 November ) a significant amount of money donated. Although a chapel dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the Church from the beginning of the Holy Trinity was dedicated. The dedication to St. George was added to the City (1791 ) after the handover of the Church. The previous and original parish church of St. George's Church Molsheim was removed completely since 1790 and until 1806, they stood at today's market place ( Place du marché ).

The dimensions of the building are considerable, particularly in relation to the modest size of the city: 61.5 m long and 21 m wide, the bell tower of 45 meters high, inside the vault 20 m high, the choir, with a floor area of ​​214.5 m² ( 19,5 m x 11 m).

Equipment

Among the many attractions in the richly furnished building the Baroque Ignatius Chapel sting (1621-1630) in the northern cross arm and the Lady Chapel in the Rococo style (1748 ) in southern cross arm out the most.

Ignatius Chapel

Detailed view of the stucco decoration of the Ignatius Chapel

Look in the Lady Chapel

Other ornaments of the church is the monumental late-Gothic Christ on the Cross (1480 ), 4.5 m high and 2.5 m wide, from the former Carthusian monastery of the city ..

Renaissance wooden door

Coat of arms of Leopold V

Madonna statue

Silbermann organ

Of particular importance is the organ by Johann Andreas Silbermann from 1781. A special feature of this instrument was the echo chamber, as the predecessor of the later romantic " Récit ". In the 19th century only minor Reparierungen been made to the instrument. It was not until 1887 took the organ builder Franz Xaver Kriess before significant changes to the instrument. In the years 1969-1971 the organ by organ builder was Alfred core extensively restored, with the interim changes were reversed.