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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The funeral monument of Jean-François Melchior, lord of Birchenwald, is a building from the 1st quarter of the 18th century located in Oberschaeffolsheim, in the Lower Rhine. It is embedded in the closing wall of the village church, which was rebuilt in 1783 while maintaining a 12th century Romanesque tower. This funeral monument reflects the importance of the local noble families, such as the Wurmser, owners of the village and whose funeral slab remains in the church.

The church of Oberschaeffolsheim, with which the monument is associated, has a complex history. A chapel of Saint Ulrich was attested to in the 11th century, replaced by a parish building in the 12th century. After the Reformation in 1530, the parish became Protestant until 1618, when George Wurmser restored Catholic worship. The Romanesque tower, preserved during the reconstruction of 1783, was raised and capped by an arrow.

Jean-François Melchior's funerary monument was listed as a historical monument by order of April 21, 1934. This classification underscores its heritage value, linked to Alsatian aristocratic funeral architecture of the early eighteenth century. The church, on the other hand, mixes Romanesque elements (geminated bays, cubic capitals) with later additions, such as partially erased murals or stain marks on stones.

The site, located at 18 rue de la Mairie, also illustrates the religious and architectural transformations of Alsace, between medieval heritage, Protestant reforms and Catholic restoration. The presence of traces of painted decoration (imitation of chaining, sundial) and the reuse of the Romanesque tower testify to historical continuity despite the upheavals.

Today, the funerary monument remains accessible in its original context, integrated into the village landscape. Its inscription among the historical monuments of Lower Rhine makes it a privileged witness to local history and the influence of lords such as the Melchior or the Wurmser.

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