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Origin and history

The abbey of Pairis, founded in 1138 by Count Ulrich de Ferrette, was a Cistercian abbey located in the valley of Noirupt, near Orbey in Alsace. She was filled with monks from Lucelle and benefited from important land donations, such as the estates between Lake Blanc and Lake Noir, as well as imperial privileges exempting her property from taxes. The abbey enjoyed a flourishing agricultural and literary activity, while maintaining harmonious relations with the inhabitants of Orbey.

In the 12th century, Father Martin took part in the fourth crusade (1204) and brought back relics of Constantinople, including fragments of the True Cross. These sacred objects, described in the Historia Constantinopolitana account by Monk Gunther, were then transferred to Kaysersberg. The abbey also had renowned vineyards, such as the Kaefferkopf in Ammerschwihr, and a chapel dedicated to Saint Barbe in Mittelwihr, enlarged in 1507.

From the 15th century, Pairis declined under the influence of the Lords of Ribeaupierre, supporters of the Reformation. Pilled by the Rustauds in 1525 and ravaged during the Thirty Years War, it was temporarily united with the Maulbronn Abbey. Rebuilt in the 18th century, it was sold as a national property in 1790. Its remains, including the 17th century portal, have been home to an EHPAD hospital since 1849.

Among the artistic relics, a processional cross of the twelfth century, attributed to the Mosana school and preserved in Orbey, bears witness to its past influence. The liturgical manuscripts of the abbey, like Enixa is puerpera (XII century), are now preserved in the library of Colmar. The site, registered with historical monuments in 1929, thus blends medieval memory with contemporary use.

The archaeological excavations of 1997 revealed remains of the abbey church, destroyed after a fire in 1753. The last abbot, Antoine Delort, left in 1791 with the remaining nine monks. The estate, transformed into a textile factory and then a farm, became a hospice in 1849, marking its sustainable conversion to the service of the local community.

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