Couvent des Dominicains de Colmar (Dominican Church), Colmar
If you鈥檙e wandering through Colmar鈥檚 old town, you might spot a large Gothic structure with a calm cloister hiding just off the street鈥攖hat鈥檚 the Dominican Church. It sits between two squares with names as weighty as its history: Dominican Square and Martyrs of the Resistance Square. The Dominican friars, also known as the Order of Preachers, arrived here in 1260 and broke ground on the church in 1289.
Inside, the choir stretches over five vaulted bays, ending in an apse shaped like half a stop sign. The nave, finished in 1346, is held up by columns so slender they look almost fragile, but they鈥檝e held steady for centuries. The stained glass, glowing with early 14th-century color, tells scenes from the Life of Christ. Step into the cloister and you鈥檒l find arcades arranged in an almost-rectangle鈥攅mphasis on 鈥渁lmost.鈥�
The showpiece inside is Martin Schongauer鈥檚 鈥淰irgin of the Rose Bush,鈥� a Renaissance altarpiece painted in 1473. The cloister walls carry their own treasures: murals from the late 15th century depicting the Passion of Christ. And if you think this has always been a quiet place of worship, think again鈥攐ver the centuries, the church double-dutied as a military storehouse during the Revolution, a corn exchange in 1807, and only returned to religious use in 1898.
The convent buildings themselves have been just as restless. Built around 1300, rebuilt in the 1700s, they served as military police barracks, then a teachers鈥� training school. Since 1951, they鈥檝e housed the municipal library, giving the friars鈥� former quarters a quieter kind of learning.
Both the church and cloister have been officially recognized as historical monuments since 1948鈥攁n honor that means this place will keep its story for generations to come.
Inside, the choir stretches over five vaulted bays, ending in an apse shaped like half a stop sign. The nave, finished in 1346, is held up by columns so slender they look almost fragile, but they鈥檝e held steady for centuries. The stained glass, glowing with early 14th-century color, tells scenes from the Life of Christ. Step into the cloister and you鈥檒l find arcades arranged in an almost-rectangle鈥攅mphasis on 鈥渁lmost.鈥�
The showpiece inside is Martin Schongauer鈥檚 鈥淰irgin of the Rose Bush,鈥� a Renaissance altarpiece painted in 1473. The cloister walls carry their own treasures: murals from the late 15th century depicting the Passion of Christ. And if you think this has always been a quiet place of worship, think again鈥攐ver the centuries, the church double-dutied as a military storehouse during the Revolution, a corn exchange in 1807, and only returned to religious use in 1898.
The convent buildings themselves have been just as restless. Built around 1300, rebuilt in the 1700s, they served as military police barracks, then a teachers鈥� training school. Since 1951, they鈥檝e housed the municipal library, giving the friars鈥� former quarters a quieter kind of learning.
Both the church and cloister have been officially recognized as historical monuments since 1948鈥攁n honor that means this place will keep its story for generations to come.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Colmar. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Couvent des Dominicains de Colmar (Dominican Church) on Map
Sight Name: Couvent des Dominicains de Colmar (Dominican Church)
Sight Location: Colmar, France (See walking tours in Colmar)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Colmar, France (See walking tours in Colmar)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Colmar, France
Create Your Own Walk in Colmar
Creating your own self-guided walk in Colmar is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Colmar Introduction Walking Tour
Charlemagne was well acquainted with Colmar in his wars with the Saxons from 772 to 804 AD. Carolingian emperor Charles the Fat held an assembly there in 884. It was a free imperial city under Emperor Frederick II in 1226. Captured and held by Sweden in 1632, it was conquered at last by Louis XIV of France in 1673.
In 1871 it was annexed by the German Empire as a result of the Franco-Prussian... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
In 1871 it was annexed by the German Empire as a result of the Franco-Prussian... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
Bartholdi's Statues in Colmar
Auguste Bartholdi is one of the most famous artists from Colmar. His works, such as the Lion of Belfort in Belfort, France, and the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, are known around the world. Colmar is decorated with open-air pieces sculpted by the artist.
Many of Bartholdi's statues are found in fountains that occupy spaces in city squares or on significant street corners. Some of... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.9 Km or 3.7 Miles
Many of Bartholdi's statues are found in fountains that occupy spaces in city squares or on significant street corners. Some of... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.9 Km or 3.7 Miles