Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The former hotel of Saint-Lô, located in Séletat in the Lower Rhine, was built in 1541 as an urban residence for the abbots of Ebersmunster, replacing a simple medieval barn on the former Carolingian estate. The northern gate, decorated with medallions representing Roman emperors (buried during the Revolution), bears the date of 1541 and an anonymous tasker mark. The work seems to have been completed around 1560, as indicated by the date engraved on the screw staircase. The hotel passed to the state in 1791 before being sold to private individuals, including notary André Kubler, who changed the windows.

The building features a polygonal arrowed staircase turret and a cradle vault in the basement, characteristic of Alsatian Renaissance architecture. The coat of arms of the commissioned abbots, Georges de Richenbach and Jean Sengelbach, once adorned the facade, while stained glass and a grid were added in the 20th century by the owner Biehlmann. Ranked a historic monument in 1965 (tourelle, facades, vestibule), it now houses municipal offices after its acquisition by the city in 1963. Its history reflects the political and social transformations of Alsace, from the Old Regime to the contemporary period.

The exact location of the hotel varied according to the sources: the gate overlooks the Place du Marché-aux-Choux, while the heritage bases place it 8 rue de l'Eglise or 2 place du Dr Maurice Kubler. These differences are explained by urban changes, including the demolition of communes in the 20th century. The building also illustrates the role of the Alsatian abbeys, such as Ebersmunster, which had residences in the city to assert their temporal and spiritual power.

Architectural changes over the centuries include the addition of split arch windows during the Revolution, the restoration of facades in the 19th century, and the removal of ancillary buildings in 1900 to clear the southern courtyard. Municipal property since 1963 has allowed its preservation, although its access to the public remains limited. The sources evoke three potential architects (Werner Brunner, Jost de Saint-Maurice, Jean Sschindolffe), but without documented documentary evidence.

The 1965 classification specifically protects the stair turret, facades, roofs and vestibule, highlighting the heritage value of this example of Alsatian Abbatial Hotel. The destroyed medallions and the missing coat of arms are reminiscent of the revolutionary upheavals, while the re-use as municipal offices reflects a modern adaptation. Its history interspersed with that of the Abbey of Ebersmunster makes it a marker of the religious and civil heritage of the region.

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