Église réformée du Bouclier, Neoclassical Protestant church in central Strasbourg, France.
The Église Réformée du Bouclier is a Protestant church in central Strasbourg designed in the neoclassical style. The interior is organized as a rectangular hall with galleries supported by Doric columns, featuring simple and unadorned finishes throughout.
The parish traces its origins to 1524, when Lefèvre d'Étaples and the "Bibliens" of Meaux, suspected of Lutheran heresy, took refuge in Strasbourg, soon followed by Guillaume Farel. From 1538 to 1541 Jean Calvin led this French-speaking community, published the first French psalter in 1539 and lodged at what is now 2 rue du Bouclier. In 1563 the city magistrate suppressed the parish and expelled its pastor.
The church is affiliated with the Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine (UEPAL). Its name comes from the rue du Bouclier, the street where the French-speaking Reformed community gathered; the street name, not the congregation's role, is the origin. Inside, note the light-blue pulpit with its domed canopy and open book, and the white cloth with a cross on the communion table.
The church is easy to access, being centrally located in the city. Visitors should note that regular worship services and educational programs take place, so checking visit times in advance is helpful.
The building's pink-beige stone facade, grey slate roof and square tower with a steep spire and oculus are visible from the street, so the church does not read as a plain house. Inside, the light-blue pulpit carries a rounded canopy topped by a cross and an open book, above a white-clothed communion table.
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