Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house of the Abbey of Autrey, located in Riquewihr in the Upper Rhine, is an emblematic building of the second half of the sixteenth century. Ranked a historic monument in 1994, it is distinguished by its massed plan, its gable on street, and a turret of hors-oeuvre polygonal staircase. Built in sandstone with wood-paned elements, it features late Gothic details such as carved curule chairs and Renaissance painted motifs. His oriel rests on three consoles, and his facade preserves engraved dates (1579, 1581), testimonies of his changes.

Inside, there is a carved wooden lintel door, remains of Renaissance paintings on a partition, and a ceiling decorated with rinceaux. The staircase turret, exceptional by its triangular door adorned with ecu and date 1581, leads to a vaulted attic of radiant dogives. A molded helical silt connects the pantry to the attic. The courtyard, closed by a carriage gate, housed outbuildings (stables, barn) with wooden twisted poles, today in poor condition. These elements reflect its past use, linked to the Abbey of Autrey (Vosges), whose name it has been named since 1320.

Acquised in 1579 by Melchior Strauss, a bourgeois and winemaker of Riquewihr, the house was renovated between 1579 and 1581 by Milanese architect Anthoni Mutzat. Initials I F and C K, as well as staked ecus, suggest links with Iohann Fehr, the ecclesiastical receiver, who rented and then bought the house in 1598. The great dependence, dating from the 16th or early 17th century, completes this ensemble, illustrating the economic and social importance of Riquewihr, an Alsatian wine town under Renaissance influence.

The 1994 classification protects the former abbey courtyard, its fence wall, well and outbuildings. The house, today private property, preserves traces of its complex history, mixing medieval heritage (cellier of the early 16th century) and Renaissance transformations. The paintings and sculptures, although partially erased, bear witness to the wealth of its owners, linked to the merchant bourgeoisie and local religious institutions.

The architecture of the house of Autrey reflects the cultural exchanges of the period, with the Italian influence of Anthoni Mutzat and Alsatian local techniques. Late Gothic motifs (openworked guard-body, ogival vaults) coexist with Renaissance elements (paintings, rinceaux), highlighting a period of artistic transition. The presence of a press on the ground floor also recalls the central role of viticulture in the economy of Riquewihr, a member city of the Alsatian Decapole.

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