Religious History of Alsace-Lorraine

Reformer Martin Luther - Wikipedia

Editor's Note:

It's amazing to see the hand of God at work in world/church history. I'm currently reading about the history of the French Huguenots and the author states that the Protestants in Alsace escaped the persecution in France because at that time it was a part of Germany. My father-in-law, Raymond Wittman, told me his family in Alsace were Lutheran. -AW

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Reformer Martin Bucer - Wikipedia

Excerpt from Alsace-Lorraine (Wikipedia):

Alsace is generally seen as the most religious of all the French regions. Most of the Alsatian population is Roman Catholic, but, largely because of the region's German heritage, a significant Protestant community also exists: today, the EPCAAL (a Lutheran church) is France's second largest Protestant church, also forming an administrative union (UEPAL) with the much smaller Calvinist EPRAL. Unlike the rest of France, the Local law in Alsace-Moselle still provides for the Napoleonic Concordat of 1801 and the organic articles, which provides public subsidies to the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist churches, as well as to Jewish synagogues; religion classes in one of these faiths is compulsory in public schools. This divergence in policy from the French majority is due to the region having been part of Imperial Germany when the 1905 law separating the French church and state was instituted (for a more comprehensive history, see: Alsace-Lorraine). Controversy erupts periodically on the appropriateness of this legal disposition, as well as on the exclusion of other religions from this arrangement.

Following the Protestant Reformation, promoted by local reformer Martin Bucer, the principle of cuius regio, eius religio led to a certain amount of religious diversity in the highlands of northern Alsace. Landowners, who as "local lords" had the right to decide which religion was allowed on their land, were eager to entice populations from the more attractive lowlands to settle and develop their property. Many accepted without discrimination Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, Jews and Anabaptists. Multiconfessional villages appeared, particularly in the region of Alsace bossue. Alsace became one of the French regions boasting a thriving Jewish community, and the only region with a noticeable Anabaptist population. Philipp Jakob Spener who founded Pietism was born in Alsace. The schism of the Amish under the lead of Jacob Amman from the Mennonites occurred in 1693 in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. The strongly Catholic Louis XIV tried in vain to drive them from Alsace. When Napoleon imposed military conscription without religious exception, most emigrated to the American continent.

In 1707, the simultaneum forced many Reformed and Lutheran church buildings to also allow Catholic services. About 50 such "simultaneous churches" still exist in modern Alsace, though with the Catholic church's general lack of priests they tend to hold Catholic services only occasionally.

Excerpt from History of the Protestant Reformed Church in Alsace (Wikipedia):

The first Reformed congregation in the area was founded by John Calvin in Strasbourg in Alsace. It has its origin in the very early times of the Reformation. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the populations in a number of small imperial estates or free imperial cities including their governments (princes or city councils) had adopted the Reformed confession; in other such territories, the ruling princes introduced the Reformed faith using their privilege of Cuius regio, eius religio. Reformed confession spread in the northern and eastern part of the area with concentrations in Mulhouse and Metz. In Strasbourg and some enclaves in northern Alsace and the Vosges, Reformed Christians form only small minority communities. But the Republic in Mulhouse was reformed at the time of the French Revolution, when all the area had become a part of France.

Reformer John Calvin

Excerpt from Reformation in Alsace and northeastern Lorraine (Wikipedia):

In the early 16th century Alsace and northeastern Lorraine were part of the Holy Roman Empire with the region being partitioned into many different imperial states. Most were monarchies (Duchy of Lorraine, County of Saarwerden, Landgraviate of Upper Alsace, County of Salm), but also several republics (ten free imperial cities federated in the Décapole) and portions of certain ecclesiastical principalities (prince-bishoprics of Metz, of Speyer, and of Strasbourg).

While the prince-bishops tried to suppress any change towards the Reformation, the monarchies either adopted it or fought it, depending on the positions of their lords. The free imperial cities went through a process of discussion and conflict, winning over a majority of the burghers for the Reformation or not. The Free Imperial City of Mulhouse adopted Calvinism and joined the Swiss Confederation until the French blockade forced the city to accept French supremacy in 1795.

In 1523 and 1524, the Free Imperial City of Strasbourg became the next state in Alsace to adopt Lutheranism.[4] Most publishers in Strasbourg agreed to diffuse new ideas by issuing Reformers' tracts and numerous pamphlets.[4] This allowed well-known preachers such as Matthäus Zell, a priest at the Strasbourg Cathedral, to propagate Reformatory theses to a large, enthusiastic community. In the same year theologians and exegetes including Wolfgang Capito, Caspar Hedio, and Martin Bucer, strengthened and built up the Reformatory movement amongst craftsmen and the moderately well to do of Strasbourg.[4] In 1524, St. Aurelia, the market gardeners' parish, asked Bucer to become its pastor and preacher.[4]

Bucer had met Martin Luther in 1518 and adopted his ideas.[5] He then helped implement the Reformation in the Free Imperial City of Wissembourg in Alsace, which resulted in his excommunication by George of the Palatinate, the bishop of Speyer, and his conviction as outlaw.[5] In 1523 he found asylum in Strasbourg, where he set up Bible reading classes and later, in 1529, presented the Reformation.[5] He received John Calvin, who had been expelled from Geneva in 1538.[5] Bucer tried to safeguard the unity of the Church, but failed in reconciling Luther and Zwingli, or bringing Catholics and Protestants to agree at least on some points.[5] At his urging, the city of Strasbourg granted asylum to the persecuted anabaptists.[5] By 1525 the Reformation was gradually spreading not only into the countryside possessions of Strasbourg, but also into territories of other overlords.[4]



St. Aurelia Church in Strasbourg - Vonvon, Welleschik (Bearbeitung)
(Wikimedia)

Learn more about Alsace-Lorraine's culture and history here.