Mollkirch
Chapelle de la Vierge also known as Kloesterle
Presentation
Chapel of the Virgin, also known as Kloesterlé (small monastery). It dates in part from the second quarter of the 12th century. It was founded in 1135 by Count Bruno d’Eguisheim-Dabo, grand-nephew of the Alsatian Pope Leo IX, and was first restored by the Benedictines of Lures in 1485 and then by the Jesuits of Molsheim in 1720. The east side of the chapel still has some fine Romanesque features, notably a remarkable monolithic tympanum, decorated with a frieze in the shape of a braid and a double lace, the interlaces of which are in the shape of pretzels. On the right-hand side of the portal is a sculpted face, said to be a portrait of Bruno d’Eguisheim, the chapel’s founder. Other Romanesque features can be seen inside the building, along with a collection of ex-votos dating from the time when the chapel became a popular place of pilgrimage dedicated to Saint Barthélémy and Notre-Dame des Douleurs.
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Château-fort du Guirbaden
Presentation
Guirbaden Castle was built by Hugues III of Eguisheim in the 11th century to protect Altorf Abbey. It was destroyed several times during the 17th century. The castle, considered to be the largest in Alsace, was finally demolished by the French in 1657. However, interesting remains of the 12th-century keep and the Romanesque lord’s dwelling still remain. It takes the form of a vast quadrilateral measuring 43 x 12 metres, the first floor of which is pierced by semi-circular windows decorated with columns with richly sculpted capitals. Accessible on foot only.
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