ÉGLISE DE SAINT-MAURICE-SUR-MOSELLE

The parish of Saint Maurice which extended from the Pont Jean to the Col de Bussang is one of the oldest in the Vosges mountains. Initially known as Visentine, it took the name of Saint Morise (Maurice) at the end of the 13th century or at the beginning of the 14th century. We know nothing about the place of worship which was the centre of the parish of Visentine and then Saint Maurice. The first mention of a priest dates back to the Abbey of Romarimont and suggests that, from that time, a church served the Upper Moselle. In 1663, the church was destroyed by fire; rebuilt with limited means because of the long wars of this century, it met the same fate in 1701 and the school built nearby. On 5 July 1725, the new church, consecrated under the invocation of Saint Maurice and his companion martyrs, was officially inaugurated by the Bishop and Count of Toul. The church contained 350 seats. In 1863, the town was too cramped for a population of 1750 inhabitants, so in 1863 the architect Perron de Remiremont was asked to study a new construction project. He presented a church with 3 naves, ogival style, with a capacity of 1075 seats at an estimated cost of 140,000 francs. The site of the old cemetery was chosen. The work was awarded on 10 April 1866. The painted stained-glass windows, commissioned in 1867, are the work of Thiriat, a glass painter from Metz. The war of 1870 delayed the installation of the bells. It is only on August 31, 1875 that Robert Hartmann, bell founder, undertakes to deliver a perfect ringing composed of 4 bells weighing 4500 kg. The organs were offered by generous hands. The clock dates from 15 August 1883.