Church of Old Saint Peter
I had to pass through security to get into the city center of Strasbourg. Apparently, the city center is on an island, the Grande Île, formed by the canals which flow through the area. I thought it was strange to have security at the bridge but apparently access is easily controlled here because there are limited points which people can get to the Grande Île. I went through the entrance nearest the train station. This brought me to one of the first landmarks that I saw in Strasbourg – Church of Old Saint Peter. The name of the church is a bit odd, I never heard of an Old Saint Peter before.
Inside the Church of Old Saint Peter
As you might suspect, the church is quite old. The history of the church appears to start from at least the early twelfth century. What is unique about this church is that it is a shared church between the Catholic church and the Lutheran Church. I wasn’t aware of this when I went in. Apparently, there was a separate entrance for the Lutheran Church and there even used to be a wall inside to separate the Catholic side from the Lutheran side. It was very dark inside the church that is was difficult to appreciate the design. Additionally, this church also houses some relics of Saint Brigid of Kildare. She is the patroness saint of Ireland. Apparently, they were brought in there by monks when the moved in to the church. The came from an abbey which was originally founded by Irish monks. This explains how the relics of Saint Brigid made it to Strasbourg.
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