In 1972, remains were
archaeologically dug out of a first church, built in
Carolingian style around the year 1000. Foundations of a second church built on that spot, in
Romanesque style, were found as well. The present building had been constructed between 1234 and 1365 as the church of a
college devoted to the cult of Martin of Tours, and since defunct. The current, conspicuous helmet crowning the bell tower had been added in 1572 in
Renaissance style after a fire. The church is surrounded by several portals of rather small dimensions, speaking relatively to the volume of the building. Some of these portals are bricked up. The largest portals display richly sculpted
tympana. The coloured
tile roof, reminding that of the
Collégiale Saint-Thiébaut in
Thann, is another striking feature of the church's exterior. The massive pillars that support the façade, an architectural rarity, give the front of the building a somewhat cumbersome aspect that contrasts with the airy look of the high
apse windows. Another noteworthy detail of the building's exterior, testament to the troubled
History of Jews in Alsace, is the presence of two "
Judensäue", one in the shape of a
gargoyle, the other as a corner sculpture of a portal. In the spacious interior, whose furniture had suffered bitter losses during the
French Revolution, the most remarkable features are the exuberant
Baroque organ case of 1755, (the mechanism and the pipes themselves, originally built by
Johann Andreas Silbermann, were completely replaced in 1979), as well as the
ambulatory, a unique feature in Alsatian churches. The many chapels that surround the
choir display several medieval altars and statues. Of the remaining Gothic
stained glass windows in the nave, the most noteworthy is a 13th century head of a beardless Christ, another rare feature.
Martin Schongauer's monumental
Madonna of the Rose Bower was painted for the church in 1473 and stood there until 1972, when it was stolen. After its recovery in 1973, it was moved to the neighbouring former
Dominican Church, another Gothic, but architecturally very different sanctuary.
The Isenmann altarpiece In 1462, the municipal painter
Caspar Isenmann received a commission to paint a set of panels dedicated to the
Life of Jesus Christ. He delivered the paintings (
oil on
fir wood) in 1465. In 1720, the altar was dismantled and Isenmann's paintings were dispersed. Seven surviving panels are kept since 1853 in the
Unterlinden Museum. == Dimensions ==