The weathered stone whispers tales of centuries. This is the Église catholique Saint-Louis in Strasbourg.
Before this Baroque beauty stood a Carmelite convent. It thrived until the Protestant Reformation. Secularized in 1528 it became housing and even a tallow shop. A first church dedicated to Saint Louis arose in 1687. Catholic worship was regaining importance in Alsace under Louis XIV. It was then known as Saint-Louis-des-Français honoring the Sun King. The Congregation of Notre-Sauveur managed the parish until the Revolution calling it Maison Saint-Louis. The church was a pilgrimage site for Our Lady of Sorrows.
Revolution swept through France. The church was sold in 1790. A fire in 1805 reduced it to a tobacco shop. Undeterred the people of Strasbourg rebuilt their Église catholique Saint-Louis between 1825 and 1827. The new structure was Neo-Baroque and Neoclassical in style. Some interior features reflect the 19th-century reconstruction.
Examine the altarpiece. Three statues stand proudly. Saint Augustine represents the 17th-century canons. Saint Thérèse of Avila remembers the Carmelite past. Saint Louis naturally is the patron saint of the church. These statues are not the originals though. They were created in 1893.
The church’s pulpit deserves your attention. Sculpted by Théophile Klem it won an award at the 1895 Strasbourg industrial and craft exhibition. Note the oil paintings by Martin Feuerstein. They depict scenes from Saint Louis’s life. The Ott brothers added stained-glass windows in the 1930s.
The choir underwent renovation between June and October 2015. The organ is a noteworthy feature. Its Neo-Baroque case dates back to 1896 and it is listed as a historical monument. This organ from Charles and Edgard Wetzel replaced a Jean-Conrad Sauer instrument. Based on a Cavaillé-Coll organ it has 25 stops and a Barker lever. It’s seen minimal changes over time. Sadly some pipes were stolen in 1973 but replacements were added in 1983.
The Église catholique Saint-Louis serves both the territorial parish and the parish of the Glorious Cross. The latter celebrates the Tridentine Mass. Abbot Gouyaud served both until September 2021. Abbot Florent Molin of the Society of Missionaries of Divine Mercy is the current Abbot. This remarkable church. It stands as a testament to faith perseverance and the enduring spirit of Strasbourg.