Rosheim - Saints-Pierre-et-Paul

The construction of the "Église Saints-Pierre-et-Paul", using the local pinkish sandstone, started around 1150. The gothic-style crossing tower was added around 1300. The basilica-sytle church has the classical layout of a latin cross and is known for the carvings. Though some of these got damaged during the French Revolution, most of them are still in place.

Size and the quality of some of them is really breathtaking. The architecture of this church is sometimes compared with a medieaval reliquary-shrine - and there are analogies indeed, but I see parallels as well to churches in the Lombardy.

When in 1622 a troop of mercenaries led by Peter von Mansfeld burnt down the whole village of Rosheim, this building was the only one, that survived. A legends tell, that it was defended by angels.

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A man fighting a dragon.

The fighting scene is composed around that little window, using the architectural specifics. What a great artist!

The man on the left side of the window, the dragon on the right. The man is in a "full swing", see the legs and the "moving" folds below his belt. His left arm is very long, frames the round window and ends in the snout of the dragon. There must be a knive or a sword, that we do not see, as this is just inside the beast, just killing it.

The dragon clings to the window with the two claws. It is winged. The rear part of the body is snake like - and ends in three leafs. Strange, that the dragon wears a collar like a dog. Obviously the beast has an owner, that unleashed it. Owner of a dragon can only be the devil.