Église catholique Saint-Pantaléon

English translation

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History

The parish church of Saint-Pantaléon comprises several elements from different periods: the bell tower is the former crossing tower of the Romanesque church, of which the north arm of the transept has also been preserved. The nave and choir were rebuilt from 1874 to 1877 by the architect Jean-Baptiste Schacre in a Neo-Romanesque style. The original church, dating from the second quarter of the 12th century, was oriented; known through graphic documents and through a model made in the 19th century, it consisted of a nave (whose piers were uncovered on the ground of the precinct), with groin vaulting, a transept with crossing tower, a choir over a small crypt, also with groin vaulting. The church of Gueberschwihr is one of the first Romanesque churches in Alsace to be entirely vaulted, in the middle of the 12th century. On the exterior the decoration was located principally on the apse, formed of pilaster strips over the full height of the elevation and below the axial window a pattern of polychrome checkerboard adorned with reliefs. In 1837 the church was enlarged by the addition of a bay at the location of the former choir and the construction of a new choir, as well as the widening of the aisles, under the direction of the architect Pétin (Louis ?). This church having shown a lack of solidity, it was decided to replace it from 1874 onwards with a new building, preserving the Romanesque crossing tower and one arm of the transept, the new nave and choir being oriented to the north, perpendicular to the old church. The project by Jean-Baptiste Schacre of 1870 was executed from 1874 to 1877. The date 1876 appears on the spiral staircase against the bell tower, the date 1877 at the top of the front gable. The old nave was not demolished until 1887, necessitating a consolidation of the tower, carried out by Charles Winkler. The church was formerly surrounded by the cemetery, perhaps fortified originally, which included a charnel chapel dedicated to Saint Michael; it doubtless dated from the second half of the 12th century and was destroyed in 1835. Remains of elevation are visible on the retaining wall surrounding the church, to the west. A chapel was built in the precinct around 1880, housing a Lourdes grotto.

Description

The 19th-century building, in pink sandstone, comprises a nave with three aisles, a transept with apsidale at the extremities, a choir with semi-circular apse, all with groin vaulting. The central aisle of the nave presents a false triforium decorated with paintings in the arcading which continue in the transept and choir. The Romanesque bell tower presents a ground floor with groin vaulting, with annular key; in the angles columns with cubic capitals. Staircase to the storey in stone then in wood. Beside the bell tower, arm of the Romanesque transept, cut by a floor, columns with cubic capitals in the angles, false ceiling. The openings date from the 19th century. At the top of the bell tower, three levels of round-arch windows. At the 1st level twice two paired bays on each face, at the 2nd level three times two paired bays under an arch, at the 3rd level twice three paired bays. Cubic capitals carved with different motifs, toothed frieze at the 1st level.