When I was little, my family made me believe that on June 29, the Pierres were celebrated in the morning, and the Pauls in the afternoon, so we had to hurry to wish it in the morning.
In short, today I wanted to talk to you about one of the many places of worship called Saints-Pierre-et-Paul in Alsace. I counted 22 of them, churches or abbeys dedicated at the same time to these 2 apostles.
No but say so! And one of these places of worship is in the far north of Alsace. Long before Weisseburch, Wissembourg was a town, there was an abbey church in the middle of an island on the Lauter, founded around 660 by Frankish nobles. In the same place stands proudly today the abbey of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Wissembourg. The abbey was richly endowed from the start and was considered one of the richest abbeys in the Holy Roman Empire.
Of the original church, nothing remains. Perhaps the 11th century Romanesque bell tower? Everything else is gothic. Inside, the stained glass windows transform the light, the colors are vivid, impressive, the dome reflects red tones. But I would like to take you to see the small 14th century frescoes, first a group of saints, several others on life and passion…no Francky, I’m talking about the passion of Christ. And here, to the right of the altar, is the great, immense Saint Christopher, patron saint of travellers, holding the infant Jesus in his arms.
The painting is 11 meters high, it is the full figure, that is to say, the character from head to toe, the largest in France and Germany for the Middle Ages. 11 meters. You have to imagine the work! I invite you to go and admire the ensemble, for a peaceful and silent moment, at the abbey church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul in Wissembourg. And besides, it’s cool there.
To know more.