The Church of Saint Thomas

The Church of Saint Thomas in late Romanesque and Gothic Styles, was built in the late 12th century on a Carolingian site.

  • L'église Saint-Thomas
    St. Thomas Church © Wikimedia Creative Commons

The architecture was characterised by its dome with a tower on top at the crossing of the transept and its five-naved hall, perfectly suited for preaching. This building, the main Lutheran Church in Strasbourg, was completed in 1521.

Protestant ideas were established as early as 1523 under pastor Anton Firn and Wolfgang Capiton the provost of the Chapter. Martin Bucer, the father of the Strasbourg Reformation, was a pastor there from 1531 to 1540.

The mausoleum of the Field Marshall of Saxe by Jean-Baptiste Pigalle was placed in the choir. It is a master-piece of French funerary art of the second half of the 18th century.

The protestant Maurice de Saxe was buried there on 20 August 1777. The Silbermann organ dated 1741 was played by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1778 and later by Albert Schweitzer. The latter designed the choir organ in 1908.

 

 

Associated tours

  • Protestant Strasbourg
    A walk with photos, texts and maps to better guide your route. A tour realized in collaboration with Strasbourg eurométropole and l’Union des Églises protestantes d’Alsace et de Lorraine. From...

Associated notes

  • Wolfgang Capiton (1478-1541)
    Wolfgang Capiton, an Alsatian theologian and reformer, took part in introducing the Reformation in Strasbourg.

  • Martin Bucer (1491-1551)
    He was born in Alsace, was a humanist and tried all his life long to safeguard the unity of the Church.

  • Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)
    Albert Schweitzer was born in Kayserberg, in Alsace. His father was a pastor and very fond of music. He received his secondary education in Mulhouse. He was an exceptionally gifted...