Abbeys monasteries and convents Alsace

Founded in 1046, it was originally a monastery of regular canons of Saint Augustine. Located on one of the last hills of the Sundgau, the building has had a turbulent history and has been partially destroyed several times. During the Revolution, the abbey was sold and it was in 1825 that Trappist monks settled there. They still live according to the Cistercian rule of poverty. The monastic shop sells flour and pasta produced at the Oelenberg mill. They also welcome the faithful for spiritual retreats.

This collegiate church with three naves (now the parish church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste) is one of the masterpieces of Alsatian Gothic art. The church was built from 1274 on the site of another building dating from the early 7th century. After Strasbourg Cathedral, it has the largest number of original medieval stained glass windows in Alsace. The large portal, which illustrates the life of Saint Florent, is remarkable and strongly inspired by the representations of the cathedral. The carved oak stalls, located on either side of the choir, date from the 17th and late 18th centuries and are of great finesse. The church also houses the funeral slab of the son of Erwin von Steinbach, the famous architect of Strasbourg Cathedral, who died on the site of the collegiate church in 1329. A famous annual pilgrimage to Saint Florent, whose relics are kept in a shrine visible in the nave on a Sunday in November; on this occasion a large market is held around the collegiate church. And if the weather permits, the relics are carried in procession through the streets of the village.