Medieval · Churches

Saint-Nicolas Church, Strasbourg

Strasbourg

Saint-Nicolas Church, also known as St. Nikolauskirche, is a small Gothic church in Strasbourg. It belongs to the evangelical Lutheran Protestant Church of Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine and is listed as a Monument historique under number PA00135152. The church was built between 1387 and 1454 on a predecessor building dating from 1182, which had originally been dedicated to Maria Magdalena. Its tower with a pointed helmet was erected in 1585, and the interior was redesigned in the 17th century. In 1905, Émile Salomon built the east facade and sacristy.

The church has notable historical associations. Johannes Calvin preached there for the first time on September 8, 1538, and it served the small French-speaking congregation of Huguenots from France. Albert Schweitzer also served there as a vicar, giving the ‘Straßburger Predigten’ from 1898 to 1913 and again from 1918 to 1921. He was a teaching vicar from December 1, 1899, became an ordained vicar on November 14, 1900, and performed the wedding of Theodor Heuss and Elly Heuss-Knapp there on April 11, 1908. The church’s organ, made by Gottfried and Andreas Silbermann in 1707, was dismantled in 1967 and replaced for worship services in 1972 by a small box organ from the mid-19th century.

Map showing the location of Saint-Nicolas Church in Strasbourg
Location of Saint-Nicolas Church in Strasbourg

Nearby Objects

History and Religious Use

Saint-Nicolas Church, also known as St. Nikolauskirche, is a small Gothic church in Strasbourg and belongs to the evangelical Lutheran Protestant Church of Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine. It is listed as a Monument historique under number PA00135152. The church gained particular historical importance when Johannes Calvin preached there for the first time on September 8, 1538. It also served the small French-speaking congregation of Huguenots from France.

Albert Schweitzer had a long connection with the church. He served as a vicar there, became a teaching vicar on December 1, 1899, and was ordained as a vicar on November 14, 1900. He gave the Strasbourg sermons there from 1898 to 1913 and again from 1918 to 1921. These sermons were preserved through Annie Fischer, the widow of a Strasbourg surgery professor and sister of Hugo Stinnes. On April 11, 1908, Schweitzer also performed the wedding of Theodor Heuss and Elly Heuss-Knapp at the church.

Building History and Later Alterations

Saint-Nicolas Church was built between 1387 and 1454 on the site of a predecessor building dating from 1182. That earlier building was originally dedicated to Maria Magdalena. The church was later modified in several stages: the tower with its pointed helmet was erected in 1585, and the interior was redesigned in the 17th century. In 1905, Émile Salomon added the east facade and the sacristy. These successive changes reflect a long building history spanning several centuries.

The Church Organ

The organ of Saint-Nicolas Church was made in 1707 by the brothers Gottfried and Andreas Silbermann. At the beginning of the 20th century, it still had an excellent reputation, even though it had already undergone multiple renovations and conversions. However, it did not survive the numerous modifications made after the end of the First World War. The organ was dismantled in 1967 and was irreversibly dismantled in the years that followed. Since 1972, worship services have been accompanied by a small box organ from the mid-19th century.