St Thomas’ Church, Strasbourg

St Thomas' Church, Strasbourg tickets: which one to buy

Saint-Thomas stands just south of the historic centre of Strasbourg, on the way from the cathedral to the Petite France quarter, and it is free to enter. It is the principal Protestant church of the city and is sometimes called the Protestant cathedral of Alsace. Walking tours of the old town, which is listed by UNESCO, often pass it between the cathedral and the covered bridges, and the better ones go inside for the mausoleum and the organ. River boat tours glide past on the canal.

Organ recitals and concerts are held regularly, especially in summer and during the Christmas season, and some are free with a collection. A small donation is appreciated at the door. The church is a much calmer place than the cathedral, and on a busy day in Strasbourg it is a good place to sit for a quarter of an hour between the crowds of the square and the lanes of Petite France. Concert tickets, when charged, are sold at the door half an hour before the start.

Visiting St Thomas' Church, Strasbourg: what to see

A church has stood here since the early Middle Ages; the present building went up between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, with a heavy Romanesque westwork and a Gothic hall church of five naves behind it, one of the few of its type in the region. It became Protestant at the Reformation and has remained so. Its most famous monument is the mausoleum of Maurice de Saxe, the marshal of France who died in 1750, carved by Jean-Baptiste Pigalle and installed in 1777 in the choir: a theatrical marble group in which the marshal walks calmly down steps towards a coffin held open by Death, while a weeping France tries to hold him back.

The organ, built by Johann Andreas Silbermann in 1741, was played by Mozart in 1778, and later Albert Schweitzer, who was organist here and a specialist in Bach, played and studied it. A medieval tomb of a bishop and fragments of wall painting survive. Albert Schweitzer's connection is marked by a plaque near the organ loft.

St Thomas' Church, Strasbourg opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open through the day for most of the year with shorter hours in winter and during services on Sunday mornings. Strasbourg is busiest during its Christmas market, which fills the old town from late November through December and attracts huge crowds; Saint-Thomas hosts concerts during that period and is a welcome retreat from the stalls. Summer is pleasant, with long evenings along the canals. Spring and early autumn are ideal.

Organ recitals are listed on the parish site and on posters at the door. The walk from the church to the Barrage Vauban, the covered bridges and the Petite France quarter takes five minutes, and the cathedral is ten minutes the other way. Allow twenty minutes for the church, more if the organ is being played. The tram stop for the old centre is a short walk away and connects directly with the railway station.