Église Saints-Pierre-et-Paul, church located in Haut-Rhin, in France
Église Saints-Pierre-et-Paul is a protected church building in Eguisheim. The structure features stone walls, a bell tower, and a choir area that organize the interior worship space.
A first church here likely dates from the 11th century; in the 12th century it was replaced by a Romanesque basilica with three naves and a tower. In July 1787 part of the building collapsed during a service, and engineers Messier and Gouget decided in 1807 to demolish most of the old nave, keeping only the tower and a few parts. The new nave north of the tower was finished in 1809, furnishings followed through the 19th century, and the church was listed as a monument historique in 1933 and classified in 1934.
The tower's ground floor now serves as a baptistery, entered through a wrought-iron gate from the new nave. Its Romanesque portal keeps traces of polychrome paint and a tympanum showing Christ enthroned between Peter and Paul, with the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins carved on the lintel below. A 14th-century wooden Vierge Ouvrante, its wings opening to reveal a kneeling angel on each side, stands in the former portal and has been a classified monument since 1978.
The church stands on Place de l'Église in the village centre. The Romanesque basilica once stood south of the tower, behind it; pillar and vault-rib remains are still visible on the tower's south side. The tower's ground floor now serves as a baptismal chapel, entered from the new nave through a wrought-iron gate.
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