Eglise Saint-Martin (St. Martin Church), Colmar (must see)
Imagine it鈥檚 1972, and archaeologists in Colmar are digging around Saint Martin Church when鈥攕urprise鈥攖hey strike architectural gold. Beneath the current structure, they unearth not one, but two earlier churches. The oldest, built around the year 1000, was a Carolingian creation. The second, a Romanesque design, came a little later. The church standing today began taking shape in 1234 and wasn鈥檛 wrapped up until 1365鈥攁 construction timeline that makes modern building delays look positively speedy.
Saint Martin鈥檚 isn鈥檛 shy about its dimensions: 256 feet from end to end, 66 feet high inside, and a transept that spreads 112 feet across. Its steeple rises to 233 feet鈥攖opped not with a dainty spire but a hefty 16th-century 鈥渉elmet鈥� roof, added after a fire in 1572. Walk around, and you鈥檒l notice the mix of entrances鈥攕ome grandly framed with detailed tympanums, others small and long since bricked up. Colored roof tiles crown the structure, and the facade鈥檚 thick polygonal columns keep things grounded, while the tall apse windows aim for the heavens.
Inside, the space breathes. There鈥檚 a Baroque organ case from 1755, a proper regional style ambulatory, and chapels holding Medieval altars and statues. The stained glass is a history lesson in color, with a rare 13th-century depiction of Christ without a beard. In 1482, painter Caspar Isenmann was hired to tell the Life of Jesus in panels鈥攕even of which survive in the Unterlinden Museum.
And while locals call it 鈥渢he cathedral,鈥� it officially held that title for just a brief stint鈥攆rom 1790 to 1801鈥攂efore returning to its status as a collegiate church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. Short-lived cathedral or not, it鈥檚 been the city鈥檚 spiritual heavyweight for centuries, and Colmar wouldn鈥檛 be quite the same without it.
Saint Martin鈥檚 isn鈥檛 shy about its dimensions: 256 feet from end to end, 66 feet high inside, and a transept that spreads 112 feet across. Its steeple rises to 233 feet鈥攖opped not with a dainty spire but a hefty 16th-century 鈥渉elmet鈥� roof, added after a fire in 1572. Walk around, and you鈥檒l notice the mix of entrances鈥攕ome grandly framed with detailed tympanums, others small and long since bricked up. Colored roof tiles crown the structure, and the facade鈥檚 thick polygonal columns keep things grounded, while the tall apse windows aim for the heavens.
Inside, the space breathes. There鈥檚 a Baroque organ case from 1755, a proper regional style ambulatory, and chapels holding Medieval altars and statues. The stained glass is a history lesson in color, with a rare 13th-century depiction of Christ without a beard. In 1482, painter Caspar Isenmann was hired to tell the Life of Jesus in panels鈥攕even of which survive in the Unterlinden Museum.
And while locals call it 鈥渢he cathedral,鈥� it officially held that title for just a brief stint鈥攆rom 1790 to 1801鈥攂efore returning to its status as a collegiate church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. Short-lived cathedral or not, it鈥檚 been the city鈥檚 spiritual heavyweight for centuries, and Colmar wouldn鈥檛 be quite the same without it.
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Eglise Saint-Martin (St. Martin Church) on Map
Sight Name: Eglise Saint-Martin (St. Martin 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.
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
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