Saint John the Baptist Church

The Roman Catholic Parish church Saint John the Baptist is the main church of the small city of Niederhaslach in Alsace. The building is widely considered one of the finest and most ornate examples of Gothic architecture and Gothic art in the Bas-Rhin departement.

The church was built from 1274 on as a replacement for a building from the 7th century that had been the shrine since 810 (by order of bishop Ratho) of relics of the Saint. The new church was under construction until 1385: a fire on 4 June 1287 that destroyed everything but the choir as well as the accidental death of the architect Gerlach von Steinbach in 1330 had slowed down its completion.

The church was plundered during the German Peasants' War in 1525 and on 6 June 1633, it was burned by Swedish mercenaries during the Thirty Years' War. The building was neglected during the following two centuries and even served as a slaughterhouse in 1744. The French Revolution, however, spared the church, but dissolved the chapter to which it belonged. The church was thoroughly restored from 1853 to 1887 and again from 1990 to 2006.

Stained glass windows

Niederhaslach's church prides itself with one of the most complete and well preserved/restored collections of medieval stained glass windows in Alsace after Strasbourg Cathedral. The nave and choir display a large number of windows from the 13th and 14th century, remarkable for their shining nuances of blue and red and the number and variety of represented human figures. They represent the life of Jesus and Mary as well as of John the Baptist. The most famous window, being the most original in its design, is the one showing the predication of John the Baptist, the central figure being displayed life-sized. The façade shows a rose window of the year 1325.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Place de l'Église 9, Niederhaslach, France

Details

Founded: 1274
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)