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Origin and history

The church Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul d'Ottmarsheim, located in the Haut-Rhin in Alsace, is a 11th century building famous for its unique octagonal architecture, inspired by the Palatine chapel of Aix-la-Chapelle and the church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Founded by Rodolphe d'Altenbourg, ancestor of the Habsburgs, it was dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul and listed as a historical monument in 1841. Its centered plan, frescoes and dome make it a jewel of pre-Roman and Ottoman art.

The Benedictine Abbey of St. Mary, founded around 1030 by Rodolphe of Altenburg and his wife Cunegunde, was a female monastery placed under pontifical protection. Consecrated in 1049 by Pope Leo IX, it housed relics and served as a family necropolis. The church, built in limestone and pink sandstone, was enlarged in the 15th century with Gothic chapels. Partially destroyed during the French Revolution, it was restored in the 19th century.

The building suffered numerous fires and looting, notably in 1445 by the Basel people and in 1991, where a fire destroyed its baroque organs of 1726. Successive restorations, including those carried out by Prosper Mérimée in the 19th century, have preserved its frescoes and architecture. Today, the parish church houses a priory of the Servants of Jesus and Mary since 1991, perpetuating his religious vocation.

The abbey was a strategic place, linked to the House of Habsburg and the conflicts of the Holy Roman Empire. Rodolphe of Altenburg, who died in 1053 during the Battle of Civitate, was buried there in the centre of the octagon. The abbesses, like Adelaide de Flachslanden or Elizabeth de Blumeneck, marked its history with beautification works and pontifical protections. The abbey was dissolved in 1790, its property sold as national property.

The architecture of the church, with its two-storey octagon, its bell tower and side chapels, reflects paleo-Christian and Byzantine influences. The tombstones of the founders, displaced in the 19th century, and partially preserved murals testify to its rich past. Modern restorations have restored the building's brilliance, while integrating contemporary elements such as a new organ inaugurated in 2000.

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