St-Léger (Guebwiller)

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Engraving from 1836 by Jules-Didot l'Ainé
overall view

The Roman Catholic Church of Saint-Léger (also Leodegar, Leodgar, Lutgar, Léger, Leodigar) is a sacred building of the Alsatian late Romanesque with a richly structured facade and three magnificent towers. It is located in the commune of Guebwiller in the Haut-Rhin department in the Grand Est region (until 2015 Alsace ) on the Romanesque Road (also called Route Romane d'Alsace ).

history

The church was built in 1182 at the instigation and under the influence of the Murbach abbot Conrad von Espach. The church was completed in 1235. Its architecture is influenced by the Basel Minster (gable of the western front, towers), the choir was rebuilt in the 14th century.

Saint-Léger was built on the foundations of two older buildings in the transition style from Romanesque to Gothic. The first church was from the late 8th century (Carolingian building) and the second was from the 10th century (Ottonian building).

During the revolution in 1794 the church was profaned . It was not re-consecrated until 1831.

Following the bombing in the two world wars, the old windows were replaced with new ones made by the glassblower Chapuis.

Main facade with portal

architecture

The tympanum of the portal, which is still entirely in Romanesque style, shows Christ, Mary on the right and a bishop (presumably Saint Léger ) on the left. The Galluspforte at Basel Minster or the portal of the Frauenmuenster in Zurich serve as models for the main portal .

However, the interior already shows the first elements of Gothic. The style is representative of the Upper Rhine-Alsatian Romanesque (such as Sélestat , Marmoutier , Lautenbach ), but here the vestibule extends over the entire width of the facade, it is even accessible from the sides, as in many Burgundian churches.

The structure has undergone numerous changes. The destroyed apse of the Romanesque church was replaced by a choir polygon in the Gothic style. The facade was restored in the 19th century and returned to its original state.

outer facade

The building was erected with red Rothbacher Vosges sandstone. The crossing tower, built between the late 12th and late 13th centuries, sits in the center of the nave and transept and is octagonal in shape to represent the world.

inner space

Apart from the entrance to the choir, the capitals of the nave are devoid of decoration. A glass in the choir shows the attack on Guebwiller in 1445.

literature

  • Cathrin Rummel: Alsace Lorraine. Michelin travel guide, Munich 2015, ISBN 3834289221 .
  • Hans Haug, Robert Will: Alsace novels. (2nd edition), Editions Zodiaque, Saint-Léger-Vauban (France), ISBN 2736900642 , 1982; Pp. 28-29.
  • Alexandre Meichler: L'église Saint-Léger de Guebwiller. Pp. 264-283.
  • François Deshoulières: Guebwiller. Eglise Saint-Léger. Lecture at the Congrès archéologique de France, 83éme session. Metz, Strasbourg and Colmar.

Web links

Commons : Saint-Léger (Guebwiller)  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 47 ° 54 ′ 42.3 "  N , 7 ° 12 ′ 33.1"  E