Saint William's Church, Strasbourg, France

Saint William's Church is a gothic church is known for its sumptuous interior combining the Gothic and Baroque styles. Since the end of the 19th century, the excellent acoustics of the church has allowed it to serve as a venue for concerts of classical music, in particular for the Passions of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Returning unharmed from the Crusades, the knight Henri de Müllenheim undertook the construction of a monastery for the Hermits of Saint William, an order of mendicant monks, in this marshy neighbourhood situated extra muros, that is, beyond the city walls. The elongated building, consecrated in 1301 and realised in 1307, is the only remnant of this group. Entirely brick and unvaulted, the church corresponds well to the ideal of the order, namely by its single nave and the simplicity of its exterior form. Sheltered by a pitched roof, its nave is topped and prolonged by a deep polygonal choir illuminated by high windows, which betrays its original function as the monks' meeting room. In 1331, by reason of its proximity to the port and wharfs, the church was chosen as parish by the newly established corporation of shipbuilders.

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User Reviews

A. Z. (2 years ago)
Very open minded presbyterian church. Gay friendly.

Robin Irwin (3 years ago)
Returning unharmed from the Crusades, the knight Henri de Müllenheim undertook the construction of a monastery for the Hermits of Saint William, an order of mendicant monks, in this marshy neighbourhood just outside the city wall next to to docks This stone brick church angular church tries to portray a sense of order and was designed to be a meeting room for the monks. The newly established corporation of shipbuilders in the 14th century thought it would better as a local parish. After the 15 century, the Church lost prosperity and closed down. A revival started after the discovery that the angular design provided perfect acoustics. The Wilhelmer Choir, also known as the 'Chœur de Saint-Guillaume' got established and became as one of the leading choirs of the region. It has been led by several famous choirmasters, including Wilhelm Furtwangler, John Eliot Gardiner. It is highly recommended visiting choir performances.

Kevin Trumpfheller (KeroTronic) (5 years ago)
Believer or not. Your bell annoys a lot of people in the neighborhood. We are no longer in the middle ages. We all have enough to know what time it is ... and for particular events may be to shorten the duration of this pcq noise ringing for 10 minutes I don't see the point ... but hey, it's a question of religion I guess we can not say anything ... in short it is noisy and impossible to sleep properly.

Sa W (5 years ago)
Closed all the time, nothing to see here

Taiwo Tejumola (5 years ago)
Nice worship centre

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Saint William's Church

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