Saint-Maurice, Gothic Revival church in Neustadt district, Strasbourg, France
Saint-Maurice is a Gothic Revival church building with a 65-meter bell tower that rises prominently along the main avenues leading toward Place Arnold in Strasbourg. Inside, a Friedrich Weigle organ from 1899 features 43 stops and three keyboards, played during services.
Construction began in November 1895 as part of the Neustadt development, following an 1893 architectural competition won by Ludwig Becker of Mainz. The church was consecrated on 28 May 1899 as the Catholic garrison church of Strasbourg, then under German rule. On 21 February 2013, a man damaged about fifteen statues and left a stolen Islamic prayer rug and Qur'an in the building.
The main altar depicts the life of Saint Maurice, and the upper crucifix is flanked by figures of Saint Mary and Saint John. The southern chapel holds an altarpiece of the Virgin Mary, and a side chapel has a modern work by Sylvie Lander. All windows are filled with stained glass.
The 65-metre spire is aligned with the long axis of Avenue des Vosges and Avenue de la Forêt-Noire, which run from Place de Haguenau to Place Arnold, so the tower stays in view along the whole avenue. The church stands on Place Arnold, and the Joan of Arc statue is to its east.
The Joan of Arc statue east of the church is an 1897 cast of Paul Dubois's work; it stood at the church entrance until Place Arnold was renovated, when it was moved. On 21 February 2013 a man damaged about fifteen statues inside the church and left a stolen Islamic prayer rug and Qur'an; he was probably mentally ill.
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