ST MARTIN’S PROTESTANT TEMPLE
Built in 1601 under the direction of the Württemberg architect Heinrich Schickhardt, this building embodies the distinctive character of the Montbéliard region: an enclave of French-speaking Lutheran Protestantism, governed for over four centuries by a German dynasty, the House of Württemberg.
At the time, the construction of the church crowned the religious policy of Prince Frederick, Duke of Württemberg, marking the triumph of Lutheranism.
As well as its architectural merits, visitors should not miss its coffered ceiling, its organ and its spiral staircase.
A reproduction of the Montbéliard Altarpiece (Mömpelgarder Altar) is on display at Saint-Martin Church.
At the request of Count Georges I of Montbéliard*, the painter Heinrich Füllmaurer, originally from Herrenberg in Württemberg, created a large altarpiece around 1540. Comprising a central section and six side panels that fold over one another, it forms a remarkable ensemble of 157 painted panels, transforming this altarpiece into a sort of illustrated New Testament.
In the second half of the 16th century, the work was moved to Stuttgart. In 1617, it was first mentioned in written records as the ‘Mömpelgarder Altar’, indicating that it originated from Montbéliard, and was then held in the prince’s collections.
In 1634, amidst the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War, the altarpiece was taken to Vienna in Austria as war booty and became one of the jewels of the Habsburg painting collection. It is now housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
At the time, the construction of the church crowned the religious policy of Prince Frederick, Duke of Württemberg, marking the triumph of Lutheranism.
As well as its architectural merits, visitors should not miss its coffered ceiling, its organ and its spiral staircase.
A reproduction of the Montbéliard Altarpiece (Mömpelgarder Altar) is on display at Saint-Martin Church.
At the request of Count Georges I of Montbéliard*, the painter Heinrich Füllmaurer, originally from Herrenberg in Württemberg, created a large altarpiece around 1540. Comprising a central section and six side panels that fold over one another, it forms a remarkable ensemble of 157 painted panels, transforming this altarpiece into a sort of illustrated New Testament.
In the second half of the 16th century, the work was moved to Stuttgart. In 1617, it was first mentioned in written records as the ‘Mömpelgarder Altar’, indicating that it originated from Montbéliard, and was then held in the prince’s collections.
In 1634, amidst the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War, the altarpiece was taken to Vienna in Austria as war booty and became one of the jewels of the Habsburg painting collection. It is now housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Place Saint Martin
25200
MONTBELIARD
Web site (URL) : https://www.temple-saint-martin.fr/
03 81 91 03 69
