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Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Odile de Lapoutroie, located on Rue de l'Abbé-Simon, is a religious building built in the early 20th century, between 1911 and 1912, under the direction of colmarian architect Charles Gerwig. It replaces an 18th-century church, destroyed by fire in 1750 and rebuilt, but deemed insufficient in 1894. The first stone was laid on 15 June 1911, and the church was consecrated on 3 October 1912. Its architecture combines neo-Roman elements, such as the sandstone bell tower and the arches of warheads, with remarkable interior decorations.

The interior of the church houses a cycle of murals made in 1938 by Maurice Denis, in collaboration with Robert Gall and Claude Voillaume. These works, dedicated to Saint Odile, make this place a unique testimony of the sacred art of between-wars in Alsace. The building, which has been listed as a historic monument since 1992 for its paintings, also underwent an outdoor restoration in 1995. Its current location, at the back of the town hall, contrasts with that of the old church, located on the current square of the monument to the dead.

The history of the church is marked by several reconstructions. A first church, dated the 11th century, disappeared in 1502 and was replaced thanks to the financing of the Sire de Ribeaupierre. Damaged in 1728 and destroyed by fire in 1750, it was partially rebuilt in 1751, with a choir and a bell tower added after a dispute with the abbey of Pairis, decimator of the place. Charles Winkler's initial project in 1894 never came into being, leaving room for Gerwig's project, carried out by the firm Brutschi de Ribeauvillé.

Architecturally, the church is distinguished by its assembled sandstone sprocket wall, yours portal and sculpted tympanum, flanked by two side porches. The bell tower, decorated with two stair turrets, dominates the structure and is surmounted by an arrow surrounded by bell towers. Inside, the central nave, flanked by zenithal oculus-lit choirs vaulted with warheads. A gallery occupies the first span, while side chapels house secondary altars.

The site also preserves traces of its liturgical and community past. The old church of the eighteenth century, known by photographs, had a nave pierced windows in full hanger and a square bell tower surmounted by a dome. His orientation, with the choir turned towards the village, reflected his integration into local life. Today, the church of Sainte-Odile, owned by the commune, remains an active place of worship and a major artistic and historical heritage of the Upper Rhine.

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