Churches of Strasbourg - sights of Strasbourg, photo, description. Cathedrals of Strasbourg Clock in the Cathedral of Strasbourg

Goethe called it "the sublime tree of God", and Victor Hugo called it "a gigantic graceful marvel". All these poetic epithets describe Cathedral in Strasbourg, a French city bordering Germany. For two centuries this building was the tallest in the world. The spire of the cathedral can be seen far beyond Strasbourg. Its silhouette against the reddening pre-sunset sky is the hallmark of the city. The spire is visible even from the other side of the Rhine, along which the modern border runs. Therefore, the Strasbourg Cathedral in Germany is considered almost their own (taking into account the history of Alsace and Lorraine). This church is both majestic and elegant. Even in the twenty-first century, the era of skyscrapers, Strasbourg's Notre Dame is the sixth tallest temple in the world. It also holds the lead as the largest building made of such a short-lived stone as sandstone. Let's take a virtual tour of this unique gothic temple.

How to get to Strasbourg Cathedral

Finding this building is not difficult - the 142-meter tower is visible from afar. But the center of Strasbourg was built on an island surrounded by the river Ile. Dense half-timbered buildings with overhanging balconies along narrow medieval streets block the view. There are so many interesting sights around that it is just right to forget where you intended to come. Strasbourg Cathedral suddenly appears in all its glory in the narrow opening of Rue Mercier. You can get to it by crossing the bridge along the Vieux March Aux Poisson (near the Historical Museum). From this position, take a picture of him. If you get closer, you can capture only fragments of the facades, but not the whole handsome giant. By the way, on the right side of Mercier Street there is an old half-timbered house of Kammerzel (XV century), decorated with wooden sculptures - now there is a large souvenir shop.

Cathedral in Strasbourg: history

Modern Alsace was once part of the vast Roman Empire. Therefore, it is not surprising that a pagan temple stood in the very center of the Gallic settlement of Argentoratum. Much later, Strasbourg got its modern name from two German words: "strasse" - a road and "burg" - a castle or a fortified city. When Christianity became the dominant religion, the pagan temple was destroyed, and a church was built in its place. Around the year 1000, the population of the "City on the Roads" increased so much that a need arose for a cathedral. The first stone for the construction was laid by Bishop Werner of Habsburg in 1015. Naturally, in terms of planning, it was a typical Romanesque cathedral. A fire in 1176 destroyed the wooden roof and the upper floors. Therefore, it was decided to build a cathedral of stone. It was brought from the nearest mountains - the Vosges. This sandstone has an amazing property of glowing pink at sunset or sunrise.

Strasbourg Cathedral (France) and episcopal vanity

In the thirteenth century, Gothic was in vogue. The cities of Western Europe competed among themselves who would build the highest, largest and most beautiful House of God. The bishop of Strasbourg was haunted by the laurels of his Basel, Ulm and Cologne colleagues. Therefore, he spared no expense to hire the most fashionable (and highly paid) architects to build his cathedral. Of course, he did not wait for the end of the work and did not see the majestic creation. After the death of the bishop, the construction was paid for by the municipality - consuls and ordinary citizens. And so it happened that the eastern and southern portals, as well as the choir, were made in the Romanesque style, and the western part with the northern tower was in the Gothic style. By the way, the plan provided for the construction of its one, southern, spire. But the city simply did not have enough time for it. The asymmetrical design also makes it unique. And the 142-meter north tower was completed only in 1439.

Western facade

We are not in a hurry to go inside. An invariable ritual of all tourists is a leisurely and thoughtful tour of the majestic building. Strasbourg Cathedral in France is famous for its western façade. This is a real masterpiece of high gothic. One of the architects was Erwin von Steinbach. He in 1284 designed the western façade, with a thousand sculptures and an elegant rosette window. When there was not enough money for the construction, the architect sold his horse and donated the required amount. In the fourteenth century, Ulrich von Ensingen, the creator of the cathedral in Ulm, became the main architect. And the famous North Tower was completed by Johann Hultz, a master from Cologne. Thousands of stone sculptures and ornaments that adorn the western facade of the Strasbourg Cathedral are included in all textbooks on medieval Gothic. Wonderful stained glass windows are best viewed from the inside. They were taken away by the Nazis during the last World War, but later the German government returned them along with stolen tapestries and paintings.

South traverse facade

Strasbourg Cathedral is worth visiting in its entirety. It is not only the tall spire and the western facade richly decorated with sculptures that attract attention. The southern traverse with the entrance is also very interesting. It is decorated with the no less famous sculptural group "Church and Synagogue". During the crusade against the Albigensians, this story was rethought as the struggle of the Roman Papacy with dissident Christian beliefs. The gargoyles, which serve as rain gutters, seem to say: "There is no Salvation outside the Catholic Church." In the Gothic facade on the triple portal of the main entrance, we see the scene of the adoration of the Magi. There are sculptures of the prophets of the Old Testament and the martyrs of the New. Allegorical figures depict Sins and Virtues.

Interior sights

And now let's go inside the cathedral, especially since the entrance to it is free. The Strasbourg Cathedral continues to perform its functions as a functioning temple, therefore, during the services, the entrance to it is limited for tourists. Inside the church is decorated no less luxuriously than outside. It's good to come here on a sunny day - then the stained-glass windows look especially impressive. What not to miss in Strasbourg Cathedral? This is a baptismal font created in the middle of the fifteenth century by the sculptor Dotzinger. Tapestries, paintings on religious subjects, an old organ attract attention. The pulpit is very beautiful, decorated with numerous statues belonging to the chisel of Hans Hammer. You also need to look beyond and see the painting by Nicolas Raeder (in the north transept).

Tower

Be sure to climb the spire that crowns the Strasbourg Cathedral. Strasbourg from the observation deck - at a glance. In addition, you can see some sculptures and gargoyles up close. If it will be difficult to climb a narrow spiral staircase, remember: these steps were overcome by Stendhal and Goethe. And the latter did it every day while he studied at the University of Strasbourg. So he was cured of a phobia of heights. This spire until the eighteenth century (until the Cologne Cathedral was completed) remained the highest structure. It is noteworthy that during the French Revolution they wanted to destroy the bell tower. Say, she leveled the principle of equality. But the locals decorated it (with a symbol of freedom), and the ideological intensity of the revolutionaries was removed. Entrance to the tower is paid: 4.5 euros for an adult and 2.5 for children and students.

astronomical clock

If you buy a ticket for the North Tower, you can also visit the choirs that go along the upper tier of the entire cathedral. This will give you a unique opportunity to take a closer look at the stained glass windows and beautiful Gothic rosettes. But in the temple there is another paid attraction for tourists. This is the Strasbourg Cathedral. The third chronometer was improved and installed in 1832. Before him, clocks with astronomical functions had faithfully served the city since 1574. The first chronometer has been mentioned since 1353. What is interesting about the Strasbourg Cathedral clock? The complex mechanism shows the orbits of the Earth and the Moon, as well as all the planets known at that time. In addition, on New Year's Eve, the clock makes a full turn and shows the dates on which the "floating" Catholic holidays (Easter, Ascension, Pentecost) fall. The gear of the mechanism, which rotates the slowest, is responsible for determining It will make a complete revolution (if, of course, the chronometer survives) in twenty-five thousand eight hundred years.

Events

Strasbourg Cathedral has always played a key role in the life of the city. Not only are liturgies held here. On Sunday mornings, you can listen to the Gregorian Chapel in the cathedral. Very often, organ concerts are held here, in which an old, richly decorated instrument is involved. It is especially good to come to Strasbourg in summer. Firstly, the weather is conducive to walking and sailing along the canals on boats. In the cold season, they also ply, but their top is glazed. As a bonus, summer tourists are given the opportunity to see a beautiful sight. Various concerts are held every evening on the square in front of the cathedral. Many spotlights illuminate the walls of the majestic building in time with the music, which makes it seem that the statues on the facades come to life.

City and its attractions

Strasbourg Cathedral is a kind of dominant. But the tourist attractions of the city are not limited to it. Of course, it is necessary to start acquaintance with Strasbourg from its cathedral. The reviews of tourists are especially recommended not to be too lazy and climb the tower. This will give you a visual representation of the location of the city, which means that it will be possible to make a route for further excursions. It is necessary to visit the Bishop's Palace, the Petite France quarter, the Alsace Museum. Do not forget that Strasbourg is located and This newest building is not located in the city center, and it is best to get to it by tram. Reviews of tourists strongly recommend, regardless of the season, to ride a sightseeing boat along the channels of the Ile River with their many locks.

Church of St. Paul

Church of St. Pavla was built in the Renaissance Gothic style at the end of the 19th century. The spiers of the towers are visible from afar, rising above all the surroundings to a height of 76 meters. In Choirs, noteworthy are the five stained glass windows by Saussure.

Église Saint-Guillaume - Saint-Guillaume Church

This is a Gothic church, combining two styles in the interior at once: Gothic and Baroque.

Address: Rue Calvin

Church of Saint-Madeleine (église Saint-Madeleine

This is a Catholic church built in the Gothic style at the end of the 15th century. It was rebuilt twice. First due to a devastating fire in 1904, then after bombings during World War II. In 1989, the church was classified as a monument of historical importance.

Address: Rue Saint-Madeleine

Notre Dame Cathedral

This is a Roman Catholic cathedral, combining Romanesque and Gothic styles in its architecture. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The cathedral is famous for its astronomical clock, an extraordinary example of cooperation between technicians, artists and mathematicians.

The height of the cathedral is 142 meters. It is the sixth largest building in the world.

Address: Place de la Cathedral

Saint Nicholas Church

This is a small gothic church. Its initial construction began in 1182, but two centuries later it was completely remade and consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas, patron saint of children, students and sailors.

Address: Quai Saint Nicolas

Church of St. Thomas (église Saint Thomas)

This is the main Protestant church in Strasbourg and the only example of such a church layout in Alsace. Inside is a sculpture of St. Michael, made in the late Gothic style - the second largest in a similar style in France.

Address: intersection of Rue Martin Luther and Quai Saint-Thomas

Church Saint-Pierre-le-Vieux

This Protestant church was listed as a Historic Monument in 1981. It was first mentioned in historical chronicles in 1130, although at that time it was a Catholic church.

Address: Place Saint-Pierre le Vieux

Temple Neuf

The name literally translates from French as "New Temple". This church originally belonged to the Catholic Dominican order, but was destroyed during the war in 1870. The current building of the now Protestant church is a 19th-century neo-Romanesque reconstruction.

The first building on this site was completed by the Dominicans in 1260. During the Strasbourg Republic in the 16th century, it was secularized and subsequently given to the Protestants, who organized a library here in 1531. In 1566, this library was attached to the Protestant Academy, which later, in 1621, turned into a university. During the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the city was bombed, and on the night of August 24-25, 1870, a fire destroyed the temple. The library with 400,000 books and 3446 manuscripts burned down.

Address: Rue de Temple Neuf

Church Saint-Jean

Built in the 15th century, Saint-Jean was partly rebuilt after World War II. The church has one nave with two lancet windows. Inside, you can see the remains of frescoes created by the artists Werle and Schwenkedel.

Address: Quai Saint-Jean

Pages: 1

WISH YOU WERE HERE

"Gorgeous... Gorgeous..." - periodically repeating the same word, the lady behind my shoulder was dumbfounded looking somewhere forward and upward. I also looked there. Just as dumbfounded. Only a couple of minutes after her disappearance, I realized that the woman was pronouncing this word in Russian. Here, in the motley and rhythmically buzzing crowd, one can easily imagine oneself at the foot of the Tower of Babel: absent-minded glances, lingering tongues, word forms ruthlessly taken out of context and dumped into one heap. The first impression lasts so long that in the process it ceases to be the first and even the second, becoming the only one. And it's all made by humans hands?

Notre Dame de Strasbourg. A unique structure, an absolute masterpiece, a diamond in the crown of the world's Gothic architecture... Epithets can be chosen for a long time, but let's start from the very beginning.

Be that as it may, and for greater effect, the guides start from afar - from the seventh century - emphasizing that it was then that the first Christian church was built on this site. Why, then, do they so diligently avoid the unfortunate fact that even earlier, when there was no Christianity even in Jewish heads (and the divine spermatozoon had not yet penetrated into the bosom of Mary), there were cult buildings of the Romans, later destroyed by well-meaning Christians to the core and deeper? Jah with them, with the guides, let's go on about and start from the seventh century.

Indeed, the first Christian church was erected here at the behest of the Strasbourg bishop with the high status of "saint" and the barking name of Arbogast. But the temple did not last long and already in the next century Charlemagne himself (who needs no special introduction) ordered this shameful hut to be demolished and something more decent to be erected. The hut was demolished, a new temple was quickly put together and decorated so elegantly and richly that Karl only clicked his tongue, and the curator from the church, Bishop Remigius, immediately ordered to bury him in the crypt of this particular temple. Either Remigius was not very holy, or Arbogast recalled from the other world about his exorbitant holiness and even greater resentment for the demolished building, but life at the new temple did not work out. The temple waited until the quick-tempered Charles properly rested, and in 873 he took it, and he himself flared up, thoroughly flared up like that. It was patiently restored, dressed up and forgotten about the fire as an unfortunate misunderstanding. But not so long. In 1002, a negligent servant decided to check how much gasoline was left in the tank of his moped, using a torch for lighting. The servant was lucky: they could not find his remains in the conflagration, they burned out qualitatively. But the temple had to be rebuilt and dressed up again. Exactly five years later, the locals decided to abandon this wasteful monument to optimism and, after another fire, waved their hand: a singed place, not lucky.

As the main fighters against superstitions and a cold attitude towards spiritual matters, a duet consisting of the Strasbourg bishop Werner (from the Habsburg family!) and the emperor of the entire Roman Empire, Henry II, acted as the main fighters. Considering that Henry II was no less holy than Arbogast, and perhaps even more dedicated, in 1015 the sweet couple ordered to clear the clearing at the site of the conflagration and laid the first brick in the foundation of the new temple with four hands. It is from this year that the real history of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Strasbourg begins.