The Collégiale Saint-Thiébaut in Thann, Haut-Rhin is one of the most ornate Gothic churches in the whole Upper Rhenish region. Of its 76 meters high spire, it is said that "The spire of Strasbourg is the highest, the spire of Freiburg is the broadest but the spire of Thann is the prettiest." In spite of its name, the church is actually dedicated to Saint-Ubald, of which it keeps a finger as a relic. It is listed as a Monument historique since 1841 by the French Ministry of Culture.
The building
The building was erected between 1332 and 1516. It was damaged during World War II. With a height of and a width of, the main portal of the western façade is one of the most outstanding features of the church. The main tympanum, depicting 21 scenes of the life of Saint-Mary is framed by a quintuple row of sculpted archivolts, each representing several dozens of other biblical scenes, while the smaller tympana below are framed by a double row of archivolts, also depicting biblical scenes. The portal is further decorated on all sides by larger than life statues of saints displaying their attributes or acting out scenes. The whole represents one of the most ornate and elaborate examples of a "Poor Man's Bible" to be seen. The north side of the church also presents a remarkable, if somewhat smaller portal, less ornate as for its sculptures but architecturally more elaborate. The outside walls of the church are decorated all around by a total of 87 statues of saints. Another striking feature of the church is the multicolored tile roof, not unlikely to the neighbouring St. Martin church's in Colmar. The inside of the church is as richly ornate as the outside. The choir is the most decorated part: stained glass windows, stalls, 12 statues of Apostles, Baroque paintings. Other parts of the church display statues, remains of frescoes, a baptismal font from the 16th century, a pulpit of 1629 and several Gothic revival statues and altars. The church's organ's pipes and mechanism had to be replacedin 2001, but Saint-Thiébaut still keeps its magnificent Gothic revival organ case of 1888.
