Visitors to Strasbourg, France, flock to the Strasbourg Cathedral, the sixth-tallest church in the world and the tallest structure built entirely in the Middle Ages that is still standing. Our time in Strasbourg was relatively short, so we opted not to wait in the long line to visit the cathedral. Instead, we found a lovely boulangerie, purchased some baked goods and settled down in a quieter part of the old town to enjoy our snacks and watch people. The square was adjacent to St Thomas’ Church, so we took advantage of the chance to go in and enjoy the church without the crowds.
The site where the church stands was used as a place of worship as early as the sixth century C.E. The current building was begun in 1196 and completed in 1521. In 1524, the church, which had been Catholic, converted to Protestantism. It remained a Protestant church even after the Alsace region was annexed by Catholic France. The church is sometimes referred to as “the Protestant Cathedral,” or “the Old Lady.”
Behind that altar is the mausoleum of Marshal Maurice de Saxe, a prominent soldier, general and military theorist in the first half of the 18th century. When Marshall Saxe died, a funeral service was held in Paris, but since he was not Catholic, he could not be buried there. Instead, his body was transported to Strasbourg, where he was ultimately interred at St. Thomas in August 1777.
The monument shows Death holding a sandglass and calling Marshall Saxe to the grave, while…
a crying France tries to protect him from Death.
On the left side of the tomb, Hercules weeps.
Over Hercules’s shoulder are distraught symbols of France’s enemies, a British lion, a Dutch lion, and a German eagle.
Among the relics at the church is the sarcophagus of Bishop Adelochus (ca. 1130).
In the back of the church is the rose window and the Silbermann organ from 1741.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed on the organ in 1778. Albert Schweitzer also performed at the church.
