About this place
The Collegiale Saint-Martin is the largest and grandest church in Colmar, often mistaken for a cathedral though the city never had a bishop. Built between about 1234 and 1365 on the foundations of two far older churches, it served a college of canons and remains a towering landmark of Alsatian Gothic. Visitors enter through richly carved portals, including a thirteenth century south doorway dedicated to Saint Nicholas, into a soaring nave ringed by chapels. Its bell tower rises some seventy one meters, but the original Gothic spire was lost to a devastating fire in 1572 and replaced by the distinctive bulbous Renaissance crown that still tops the tower today, while a planned twin tower was never built.
Key facts
- 1234 year — Construction of the collegiate church began
- 1572 year — A fire destroyed the original Gothic spire
- 71 m — Height of the bell tower, now crowned by a Renaissance lantern
📍 Place de la Cathédrale, 68000, Colmar