Église Saint-Matthieu de Colmar

You will spot the Saint-Matthew Church of Colmar on your left, a massive stone building with tall, arched Gothic windows and a long tiled roof topped by a distinctive, small domed bell tower. From our spot behind the church, you get a clear view of its impressive scale.

This place began as a Franciscan church in 1292. The main central hall where the congregation sits, known as the nave, dates back to that era. Following the Reformation in 1575, the city handed the building over to the Protestants. Religion here quickly became a tug-of-war. In 1627, Jesuits took over and banned Lutheran worship. That ban lasted exactly five years, ending abruptly when a Swedish general named Gustaf Horn captured Colmar and promptly chased the Jesuits right back out. The drama did not stop there. In 1715, the French king ordered a literal wall built to separate the nave from the choir, the sacred space near the altar. It was not until 1987 that this physical barrier finally came down.

Inside, a beautifully painted wooden partition called a rood screen divides the space, sitting near a grand 1731 Silbermann organ. The architecture creates such brilliant, resonant acoustics that the church hosts an international music festival every single year. If you want to check out the organ yourself, the church is open to visitors on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons from two to five.

This remarkable building stands as a stubborn survivor of a very turbulent past. Whenever you are ready to move on, we can make the short walk over to our next stop, the Colmar synagogue.