Church of Sainte‑Libaire

Sainte-Libaire Church, La Broque
Église Sainte-Libaire de La Broque
Oblique view of the Catholic parish church Sainte-Libaire in La Broque
Sainte-Libaire Church, La Broque
LocationRue du Général de Gaulle, La Broque, Bas-Rhin, Grand Est, France
CountryFrance
DenominationRoman Catholic
WebsiteParish website
History
StatusParish church
Founded1736
DedicationSaint Libaire
Architecture
Functional status
Active
Architect(s)François‑Eugène Grijolot (nave, 1869, neoclassical)
Adeline Hébert‑Stevens (stained glass and ceramic Christ the King, 1961)
Daniel Zinglé (tower restoration, 1984)
StyleBaroque, Neoclassical
Completed1869
Administration
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Strasbourg
DeaneryPays du Donon
ParishSainte-Libaire de La Broque

The Church of Sainte‑Libaire (French: Église Sainte‑Libaire) is the Roman Catholic parish church of La Broque, in the Bas-Rhin department of the Grand Est region, France. Dedicated to Saint Libaire, a Lorraine martyr of the 4th century, it is one of the main religious buildings of the Bruche Valley. Its slender bell tower, visible from afar, rises as a landmark in the heart of the village.

Location

The church stands in the centre of La Broque, on Rue du Général‑de‑Gaulle, on a plot enclosed by a sandstone wall. It is near Place Sainte‑Libaire and adjoins the communal cemetery, landscaped and dotted with old funerary monuments.[1]

History

9th century

A Benedictine priory, called Vicpodi cella and founded by Abbot Vicpode of Senones, is attested around the year 800 at Vipucelle.[1] · [2] This priory, now disappeared, was not located on the site of the present church, but constitutes the first known religious foundation in La Broque.

18th century

Engraving by Benjamin Zix (1795), showing the village and the church

19th century

  • 1827: rebuilding of the choir.
  • 1869: complete reconstruction of the nave, probably to the plans of François‑Eugène Grijolot.[1]

20th century

  • 1917: requisition of the bells by the German authorities, in the presence of parish priest Antoine Rapp.[3]
  • 1922–1923: casting and blessing of two new bells, Sainte Libaire and Marie‑France.[3]
  • 1929–1930: restoration and enlargement of the organ by Joseph Rinckenbach.
  • 1953: electrification of the bells and overhaul of the organ by Alfred Kern.
  • 1960–1961: general restoration under parish priest Lucien Friederich; solemn consecration on 29 October 1961 by Bishop Jean-Julien Weber.[4]
  • 1984: restoration of the tower by Daniel Zinglé, installation of a new gilded cockerel and cross.[5]
  • 1994: complete interior restoration.

Architecture

General layout

Stained glass

  • 1869: ten grisaille windows with medallions of saints, workshops Maréchal and Champigneulle (Metz).[6]
  • 1961: replacement of the choir windows by the symbols of the four evangelists, work of Adeline Hébert‑Stevens.

Interior

Protected furnishings

Several items are listed in the Palissy inventory:[1]

Other furnishings

In addition to the protected objects, the church preserves a rich collection of furniture:

Parish life

The church has long been the centre of local religious life and notably hosted the Corpus Christi processions, with richly decorated reposoirs and the presence of the verger (suisse d’église) and the “little verger”.[14]

The Cercle Aloysia of La Broque, founded in 1921, long animated parish life through music and youth activities.[15]

Notable parish priests

  • Jean‑François Prêcheur (1825–1877): brought relics of Saint Libaire in 1852 with the authorization of Bishop Louis-Marie Caverot of Saint‑Dié
  • Antoine Rapp (1913–1924): parish priest during the First World War
  • Antoine Halbwachs (1924–1951)
  • Lucien Friederich (1951–1974): parish priest at the 1961 consecration, organizer of pilgrimages (Lisieux, 1960)[4]
  • Léon Wassler (1984)[5]
  • Jean Chamley (1994)

Saint Libaire

Saint Libaire, sister of Saint Elophe, was a Lorraine martyr beheaded in 362 at Grand under Julian the Apostate. Venerated from the 15th century in the County of Salm, she is invoked against storms and nervous diseases.

She is represented by a polychrome statue on the left side altar.[16] Her relics are preserved in Grand, but part of them were brought to La Broque in 1852 by parish priest Prêcheur, with the authorization of Bishop Caverot.[16] Her feast day is celebrated on 8 October.

Surroundings

A stone calvary representing the Crucifixion stands on Place Sainte‑Libaire, near the church. It is a spiritual and heritage landmark of the village.[17]

The church is surrounded by a cemetery enclosed by sandstone walls, landscaped, where several priests and notable families are buried. Attested since the 19th century and mentioned in the Mérimée inventory,[1] it preserves several funerary monuments listed in the Palissy inventory.[18][19]

Commemorative pin (1992) depicting the church

Parish memory is also expressed through commemorative objects. In 1992, a pin depicting the church was issued.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Base Mérimée: Église paroissiale Sainte-Libaire, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. ↑ "Histoire - Ville de La Broque" (in French). 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  3. 1 2 L'Essor ACCS. ESSOR. Vol. II. p. 66.
  4. 1 2 Consécration de l'église Sainte‑Libaire. La Broque. 1961.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. 1 2 Le clocher restauré. La Broque. 1984.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ↑ "Saulxures". L'Essor ACCS (in French) (187): 9–13. September 2000.
  7. ↑ Base Palissy: Chaire à prêcher, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  8. ↑ Base Palissy: Orgue, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  9. ↑ Base Palissy: Statue : Sainte Libaire, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  10. ↑ Base Palissy: Cloche, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  11. ↑ Base Palissy: Ensemble des deux autels secondaires, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  12. ↑ Base Palissy: 10 verrières, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  13. ↑ Base Palissy: 2 statues : Vierge à l'Enfant, Saint Jean-Baptiste, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  14. ↑ L'Essor ACCS. Le suisse d'église. Schirmeck - La Broque. pp. 12‑14.
  15. ↑ L'Essor, no. 228, « Le cercle Aloysia de La Broque », ACCS, December 2010, pp. 17‑18.
  16. 1 2 "Les vitraux de l'église de La Broque". L'Essor (187). ACCS: 12. September 2000.
  17. ↑ L'Essor, no. 253, ACCS, March 2017, p. 3.
  18. ↑ Base Palissy: Monument funéraire de J. H. F. Hersent, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  19. ↑ Base Palissy: Monument funéraire, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Église Sainte-Libaire (La Broque).
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.