Temple Neuf

This huge church, standing on this semi-circular square, is Strasbourg’s Temple Neuf. Back in the 13th century, it was home to a Dominican convent. But in 1524, Strasbourg adopted the Reformation and most convents closed their doors. The Dominican convent became a place of learning, and it was here that the Haute-Ecole, which would later become the University of Strasbourg, was inaugurated. As for the convent church, it served for a time as a place of worship for Protestant refugees, with Jean Calvin himself as its first pastor; it eventually fell into disuse once the cathedral opened. But history’s full of twists and turns, as Protestants would alternate between using either the cathedral or the old Dominican church, depending on whether the city was predominantly Catholic or Lutheran. In 1681, Louis XIV finally settled the debate by ordering that the cathedral be returned to Catholic worship. The Protestants then left the cathedral, settled once more in the old church, which had served as a warehouse for over a century, and restored it. In 1751, the church even hosted the funeral of Maurice de Saxe, Count of Saxony. In the 18th century, an eminent university professor bequeathed to the city his personal library collection of 115,000 volumes of great value, which was housed in the choir of the Protestant church. During the French Revolution, Catholics and Protestants fought the same battle. All forms of worship were banned, and the church was turned into a granary. It wasn’t until 1795 that parishioners were finally able to reclaim the temple. But in 1870, during the siege of Strasbourg in the Franco-Prussian war, the church, which had stood since the 13th century, was destroyed. The church you see today was built thanks to a substantial donation from the German government. This magnificent church, in its beautiful pink sandstone, stands as a worthy successor to its burdensome past. Today, the church is open to anyone keen to learn more about Christianity, and it also hosts a number of concerts. Let’s take a look inside and admire the magnificent Merklin pipe organ.