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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The convent of the Dominicans of Sylo in Séletat, in the Lower Rhine, came into being in 1245 with the installation of the first sisters of the Order of Preachers. In 1258 they were joined by the nuns of the convent of Sylo near Ribeauvillé. After a fire in 1263, the convent was rebuilt between 1266 and 1275, and its church was erected around 1280. The sisters, from the small local nobility, manage agricultural land to the east of the site. The convent, occupied by the Swedes during the Thirty Years War, was restored in 1650, but had to give up part of its land to the city at the end of the seventeenth century to meet housing needs.

In 1720, a new entrance was built on the Rue de l'Hôpital, marking a renovation phase. The convent was closed in 1792 during the Revolution, then transformed into a hospital in 1807 under the name of hospital Saint-Quirin. The church, divided into floors in the 19th century, loses its original spatial unit, while the renovated convent buildings retain their 18th century structure. The hospital operated until 1965, before becoming a retirement home until 2000. Ranked a historic monument in 2009, the site is now being restored.

The architecture of the convent combines a 13th century trapezoidal Gothic cloister, typical of beggars, and a unique nave church with the vaulted choir of warheads. The facades and roofs of the convent buildings date back to the 18th century, although their interior was profoundly altered during hospital transformations. The 18th-century baroque furniture, including altars and an organ of Silbermann, partially disappeared after the convent closed. The 19th-century arrangements, such as the ceilings dividing the nave or chapel installed in 1842, reflect its adaptation to medical use.

The convent illustrates the evolution of religious spaces in Alsace, from a monastic place of life to a health establishment. Its history also reflects tensions between heritage and public utility, such as during the divestiture of land in the seventeenth century or the redevelopment of hospitals. Today, its restoration aims to preserve this unique testimony of Séletat's social and architectural history, from medieval Dominicans to modern hospitals.

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