Dominican Church, Colmar, France

Église des Dominicains – 1289–1364. Now disaffected as a church, displays Martin Schongauer's masterwork Madonna of the Rose Bower as well as 14th century stained glass windows and baroque choir stalls. The adjacent convent buildings house a section of the municipal library.

Started in 1283, the construction of the Dominican church mainly dates back to the first half of the 14th century. It is an important example of the mendicant orders architecture, even if the Dominicans arrived in 1278 were temporarily driven out of the city in 1330. In 1458, the roof and the cloister were damaged by a fire. After that, reconstruction works have been necessary.

In 1720, thanks to the installation of a baroque decorating, the church was less austere than before. The Dominican church was during the most part of the 19th century used to non-religious ends, before becoming again a place of worship in 1898.

Today the church displays Martin Schongauer's masterwork Madonna of the Rose Bower as well as 14th century stained glass windows and baroque choir stalls. The adjacent convent buildings house a section of the municipal library.

References:

Colmar Tourism

User Reviews

Caterina Ligabue (2 years ago)
The church is all renewed inside, but it is worth to enter for the stained glasses and especially the Mary of the Rose Bush, a true work of art. Nice lady at the entrance, especially because she did not ask to cover up.

Nomyen (4 years ago)
Big church locate in the middle of the city near saint martin church .Entre fee for2€ /person but inside nothing to see much just a drawing picture of Madona of the rose bush and a little

Z E (5 years ago)
We were there in December, so the Christmas Village crowds were at a high. The church was such a beautiful structure, but too crowded to get inside. This village redeemed my feelings about France (not a fan of Paris) with only one rude restaurant owner who clearly did not like Americans. The rest of the folks were so sweet and cheery.

Jochen Albrecht (6 years ago)
Too crowded in high season. But for a good reason. Annecy could compete with the best of France's flowering villages, which is remarkable given that it is a sizable city. Driving into and out of town in summer might cost you an hour each.

Bogdan Klimowicz (7 years ago)
The Church of the Dominicans (Église des Dominicains), is a major work of the architecture of the mendicant orders, that began construction in 1283. The Dominicans who arrived in 1278, were driven out of the city temporarily in 1330. Since 1973, it houses "The Virgin at the Buisson de Roses" (La Vierge au buisson de roses), the masterpiece of Martin Schongauer.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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Dominican Church

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