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The Stift

The Stift – from the German verb ‘stiften’: to make a donation – is one of the oldest student residences in Strasbourg.

Le Stift de Strasbourg — The Stift - Strasbourg © Wikimedia Creative Commons

It was founded in 1544 by the Reformer Caspar Hédio on the site of the Wilhelmites convent, close to Saint William’s Church. The collegium enabled impoverished students to follow theology courses, to be housed and given a scholarship. It depended on the Saint William Foundation, in turn attached to Saint Thomas’s Chapter, the only Protestant Chapter in France.

From 1903 to 1906 it was headed by Albert Schweitzer. The library holds a precious collection of 16^th century books managed by the Protestant multimedia library in Strasbourg. Since 1860 the Stift has been set up in a beautiful neoclassical building built in 1722 by the architect Samuel Werner. It also houses the board of the Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine (UPCPAL).

Associated tours

Protestant Strasbourg

A walk with photos, texts and maps to better guide your route. A tour realized in collaboration with Strasbourg eurométropole and l’Union des Églises protestantes d’Alsace et de Lorraine. From...

Associated notes

The Church of Saint Thomas

The Church of Saint Thomas in late Romanesque and Gothic Styles, was built in the late 12th century on a Carolingian site.

The Church of Saint William

The Church of Saint William and its adjoining convent were erected between 1298 and 1307 for hermit monks on the initiative of Knight Henri de Müllenheim.