At 355 m altitude, two steps from the hotel “les violettes” and the farm of the monks, stands the basilica of notre dame de thierenbach, a high place of pilgrimage in alsace. in an exceptional framework of greenery, it welcomes approximately 300,000 pilgrims and tourists each year.
About twenty kilometers from Colmar and Mulhouse, the basilica of Thierenbach is nestled between the foothills of Sudelkopf to the north and those of Vieil Armand to the south. This site is nestled at the bottom of a valley adjacent to the Rimbach and crossed by a stream called the Thierenbach. The name Thierenbach comes from the German “Thier” (animal) and “bach” (the stream).
According to legend, some children were walking one day in the meadows when they saw an object floating in the stream, which they took for an animal. This object turned out to be an image of the Virgin which the villagers then fixed to a tree, then in an oratory guarded by a hermit.
In 730, Benedictine monks, arriving from Ireland and Scotland, settled in the nearby valley of Murbach. They would have created there on smallholdings with an oratory served by the monks, even a chapel. Gradually, from the end of the 8th century, this place of worship, whose existence is attested by recent excavations, would have attracted the faithful and would have become a Marian pilgrimage.
A legend says that in 1125 a young man from Soultz was suffering from an incurable disease. He had made a vow that in case of recovery he would give all his possessions to the Virgin.
He was taken to Thierenbach and cured there. As promised, he donated his property in order to found a convent to honor this place of worship. He went on a pilgrimage to the Abbey of Cluny where he became a monk. He managed to convince the Abbot, Peter the Venerable, to stop at Thierenbach during a pastoral visit to the region. He was seized by the charm of the site and the influence of the pilgrimage so that he decided to establish a priory there.
A donation from the Count of Eguisheim, Udalrich or Ulrich and the many offerings from pilgrims subsequently enabled the construction of two priories, one for monks, the other for nuns, and a church. It was in 1130 that the Bishop of Basel, Berthold de Neuchâtel, confirmed this foundation, which was submitted directly to the Abbey of Cluny.
In 1135, the city of Soultz endowed this Cluniac priory with land, fields and meadows, and the usufruct of 61 acres of forest. However, the number of monks never exceeded ten. They had to pay 1 gold crown annually to Cluny as a sign of allegiance, but in return the inhabitants of Soultz could participate in the prayers and masses of the monks.
To know: At the restaurant “La Ferme des moines” adjacent to the basilica, 16 automatons retrace the life of the monks of that time in a 6-minute scenography!
The basilica, as it is today, features an Austrian Baroque style from 1723. Since 1886, with the support of the council of the factory, the municipality of Jungholtz and elected officials, the church has been constantly restored and embellished. In 1936, it was erected as a minor basilica.
During a visit, it is possible to discover the many ex-votos that line the walls of the church. These exceptional testimonials of gratitude both by their number (nearly 850) and by the naive sincerity of the thanks or even the accompaniment of prayers, decorate the basilica. The oldest dating from 1680. The basilica also has a Didier Fisher Krämer organ. Throughout the year, many concerts and events are offered. Through its history, its legends and its sacred imprint, Notre-Dame-de-Thierenbach has become, over time, an essential place to visit and pilgrimage in Haute-Alsace.
On the same subject, discover our article: Visit the Basilica.
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© Les Violettes Hôtel & Spa – All rights reserved.
Realization : Annei – the agency for ambitious 🥇 entrepreneurs
© Les Violettes Hôtel & Spa – All rights reserved.
Realization : Annei – the agency for ambitious 🥇 entrepreneurs
