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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Gilles de Saint-Pierre-Bois, located in the Lower Rhine in the Grand East region, is a religious building built between the 4th quarter of the 18th century and the 1st quarter of the 19th century. Placed on the Kirchberg, on the edge of wood and away from the village of Hohwarth, it replaces a medieval place of worship originally dedicated to Saint Hydulph, mentioned from the early Middle Ages. Its architecture combines a nave in stoneware, a ceiling choir and a bell tower on three levels, the last of which, octagonal, is covered with an arrow in slate. Interior elements include a 19th century painted decor.

The construction of the present church began in 1788, after the destruction of the previous building in 1787, but was interrupted by conflicts between the parish priest Louis A. Fangé (in post from 1779 to 1792) and the count of Choiseul-Meuse, decimator and lord of Villé, then by the French Revolution. The work resumed between 1811 and 1812, when the choir, sacristy and bell tower were completed, as evidenced by the dates engraved on the corner chains. The architect Antoine Ringeisen made repairs there in 1854, and the building benefited from major restoration campaigns in 1912 and 1974. Registered as a historical monument since 1992, the church retains a central place in local religious history, with a pilgrimage certified since 1280 and relaunched in the 18th century.

The Kirchberg site, which has been occupied for centuries, is said to have housed the mother church of neighbouring villages. The pilgrimage, mentioned in the colmarian Annals from the 13th century, reflects the spiritual importance of the place. The present structure, owned by the commune, illustrates the architectural and political transitions of the region, marked by tensions between ecclesiastical and seigneurial power, and then by revolutionary upheavals. The materials (stones, flat tiles, slates) and the elongated plan typical of Alsatian rural churches underline its anchoring in the local heritage.

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