St Theobald's Church, Collegiate church in Thann, France.
St Theobald's Church is a Gothic collegiate church in Thann with a 76-metre tower whose 22-metre openwork spire resembles Basel Minster. The west portal, 18 metres high and 8 metres wide, holds 150 carved scenes and about 500 figures. Inside, the central nave has no triforium, and the choir preserves Alsace's largest set of 15th-century stained glass.
Construction started in 1332 on the southern part of the building and the tower was completed around 1516 by the Basel craftsman Rémy Faesch. This lengthy building process shows how the church took shape over nearly two centuries through the work of many generations.
The church is named after Saint Theobald, yet it actually honours Saint Ubald of Gubbio, whose finger relic, brought from Italy, is said to have stopped miraculously at Thann. Thann residents say of their bell tower: "Strasbourg has the highest, Freiburg the thickest, Thann the most beautiful!"
The church sits on Place Joffre and welcomes visitors wanting to explore Gothic architecture and medieval religious art. It remains an active place of worship, so visitors should be respectful during services and follow basic dress codes.
The tower's 22-metre openwork spire, completed in 1516, is one of the few medieval tracery helms of its kind and closely resembles the spire of Basel Minster. The oldest of its four bells was cast in 1467 by Hans and Ludwig Peiger; the other three were made by Bender in Thann in 1826.
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