Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame de Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, located in the eponymous city of the Vosges, was built in the 12th century after the fire of 1155. In Romanesque style, it is built almost entirely in local reddish sandstone. Its apse, adorned with five arch windows in the middle of the hanger, dates from the 16th century and replaces older vaults. The central nave, now two-storey, would initially have housed a vault directly above the friezes of consoles.

Ranked a historic monument by decree of 12 July 1886, the church houses remarkable elements such as an 18th century Regency-style confessional from Saint-Pierre d'Etival Abbey. This furniture features an eye of Yahweh and a Trinitarian triangle, religious symbols surrounded by leafy motifs. The reliquary and altar, added between 1890 and 1892, testify to subsequent renovations.

Among the historical remains, the funeral statue of Countess Richilde, niece of Pope Leo IX, dated the thirteenth century, is now destroyed. This statue, probably from a tomb, illustrates the links between the church and the local noble figures. Close to the Cathedral of Saint-Dié, the building is separated from it by a medieval cloister, emphasizing its importance in the religious landscape of the city.

The architecture of the church, marked by its three naves and vaults of partially preserved origin, reflects the stylistic evolutions between the novel and Gothic or Renaissance additions. Vosges sandstone, the dominant material, gives the building a characteristic tint, while the lateral aisles preserve their medieval structures. These details make it a major witness to the heritage of Lorraine.

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