Eglise Historique

Built on an ancient necropolis, the first church can be dated to the end of the 11th or 12th century. The church contains witnesses of all the phases of its construction. Although it has some Romanesque elements, the present building is essentially Gothic. Archaeologically very interesting, in particular for its numerous burials, the historical church of Baldenheim has a medieval painted decoration among the best preserved in Alsace. Restoration work (1992) has brought to light or refreshed the "frescoes", covered with several layers of whitewash. Most of the mural paintings in the nave date from the 14th century. Those of the choir were realized at the end of the 15th century, according to the drawings of Martin Schongauer, a very famous Alsatian engraver, and probably during his lifetime. After the introduction of the Reformation in 1576, the church became Protestant. In 1749, the Catholics took over the choir and kept it until the construction of a new Catholic church in Baldenheim in 1938. This was the period of the simultaneum: a church shared by Protestants and Catholics.