Travel Guide Les Trois Epis

Proudly perched at an altitude of 658 meters, the Trois-Épis resort owes its name to a legend according to which, on May 3, 1491, Thierry Schoeré, a young blacksmith from Orbey, saw the Virgin Mary appear holding three ears of wheat in one hand and an ice cube in the other. The ears of wheat represented goodness and opulence, the ice cube symbolized evil and misery. The blacksmith then managed to convince his fellow citizens to build a shrine on the site of the oak tree where the Virgin Mary had appeared to him. This chapel dates from the end of the 15th century and attracts many pilgrims every year. On the other hand, the Trois-Épis resort knew its hour of glory at the beginning of the XXth century thanks to a tramway which brought from the valley the tourists avid for the great outdoors. This was a golden period for hotels and other establishments that flourished until the 1970s and 1980s. The Trois-Épis site has had the label "Station Climatique" since 1980. It is worth a stop to enjoy the view of the Vosges, to walk along its hiking trails or to stay in one of its hotels which all offer quality services. You can also visit the Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation church. This church is a good example of the religious architecture of the 1960s. It was built in concrete with a false vault in glued laminated timber and walls built partly in glass slabs. Dated 1991, the spire made of three pillars symbolizes the three ears of corn of the Virgin Mary, just a return to the original legend!