Grand Séminaire de Strasbourg, Water well at Grand Séminaire, Strasbourg, France

The Séminaire Sainte-Marie-Majeure de Strasbourg is a higher education institution for training priests, adjoining Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Lycée Fustel-de-Coulanges. Its main portal at 2, rue des Frères opens onto a complex with a neo-classical façade, a 15th-century Gothic well in one courtyard, an 18th-century library, and a chapel housing a white-case organ built by Yves Kœnig in 1985.

The Gothic well in one of the seminary courtyards dates from the 15th century and has been classified as a monument historique since 1939. The seminary itself, dedicated to Sainte-Marie-Majeure, was long housed next to Notre-Dame Cathedral and the lycée Fustel-de-Coulanges, with its main portal at 2, rue des Frères and a second access on the rue des Écrivains.

The well was essential for the seminary's daily operations and shows how religious communities had to be self-sufficient. You can still see today how crucial such water sources were to the life of people living there.

The well is located in the protected courtyard of the seminary and can be viewed when the complex is open to visitors. Keep in mind that this is an active seminary, so access may be limited and you should be respectful of ongoing activities.

The well showcases regional stonework techniques that were typical of Alsatian craftspeople at that time. These details reveal how local artisans approached building and what methods they favored for such practical structures.