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Origin and history

The chapel-ossuary Saint-Michel, located in the cemetery of Wihr-au-Val (Haut-Rhin, Grand Est), dates from the late 15th century. It served as both a place of worship and a dossuary for the villages of Wihr-au-Val and Walbach until 1696. Built in rubble and pink sandstone, it has a rectangular plan of 11 m by 8.70 m, with three levels: a ground floor paved with pebbles sheltering the bones, and a floor dedicated to the chapel, formerly dedicated to Saint Michael, protector of the dead. The building, partially buried on the north side, is surmounted by a bell tower.

The interior of the ossuary is decorated with memento mori of the eighteenth century, including a fresco citing the Maccabees and death heads accompanied by inscriptions in German. A canvas depicting the resurrection of the dead, perhaps from the ancient parish church destroyed in the 19th century, is also preserved. The site also houses Gothic remains, such as a 15th century portal and a 14th century bentier. These elements suggest an ancient funeral occupation, although the graves discovered in the vicinity were not accurately dated.

The chapel, in poor condition in the 19th century, was subjected to summary repairs in 1871 before a complete restoration in 1889, including the replacement of the frame, floor and glazing. A final work campaign in 1987 helped to preserve the coatings, the floor, and to add a balustrade protecting the bones. Classified as a historical monument in 1986, the chapel lost some of its furniture (baroque altars, retables) over the centuries, but preserved pious images of the eighteenth century, discovered in 1997 among the bones.

These images, printed on vellum and from Augsburg or Antwerp, illustrate saints and religious emblems such as the Sacred Heart. Their presence in the ossuary would be explained by the practice of placing them on the coffins before the graves were raised, in a context of Catholic Counter-Reform. Alsace, mostly Protestant, then imported these devoted images, absent from local production.

Architecturally, the chapel is distinguished by its Gothic bays (accorded arches, flamboyant networks) and its coat of arms carved on the west door, including those of Wihr-au-Val and the Hattstatt family. The ground floor, divided by a baroque balustrade, separates the prayer space (south) from the ossuary (north). The floor, formerly accessible by an external staircase, is illuminated by windows with broken arches and in the middle of the hanger, some of which could be reused.

The cemetery, initially centered around the former parish church (replaced in 1873 by the present-day St. Martin's Church), probably extended further north, as evidenced by grave discoveries in the area called "Gräber". However, no precise dating of these burials has been established, leaving open the question of the length of the funeral site.

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