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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Nicolas, located in Neuwiller-lès-Saverne in the Lower Rhine, is a religious building whose remains date back to the eleventh century. Archaeological excavations conducted in 1987-1988 revealed the foundations of a 20-metre-long sanctuary, including a nave to collateral, a slightly overflowing transept, and a semicircular choir. The masonries, composed of rubble arranged in regular sittings, as well as the ground, were protected by an inscription to historical monuments in 1989.

The chapel was first mentioned in 1285, where four altars dedicated to Saint Nicholas, Saint Vincent, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Gertrude were housed. Each of these altars was associated with a prebend. In the 13th and 14th centuries, it served as a necropolis for the noble family of Lichtenberg. The 1709 statutes indicate that it was surmounted by a canon dwelling and adjacent to the cemetery of the abbey. The plans of 1730 and 1753 confirm its location, but by 1759 it was described as in poor condition and unused for worship.

The destruction of the chapel was envisaged in 1768, probably linked to the creation of a public square north of the abbey church, leading to the suppression of the adjacent cemetery. The excavations of 1987-1988 also revealed traces of a Carolingian habitat under the foundations of the chapel, as well as a monolithic sarcophagus of the 11th-XIIth century still in place east of the transept. In 1992, the remains were highlighted and protected by additional foundations during the redevelopment of the Chapter Court, where they are still visible today.

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