Chapelle tétraconque Saint-Ulrich et ses fresques

The Saint-Ulrich chapel is located in the centre of the village of Avolsheim, near the Alsatian wine route, about twenty kilometres from Strasbourg The Avolsheim chapel is the oldest surviving Carolingian sanctuary in Alsace. Archaeological investigations undertaken in 1967 have shown that this tetraconque chapel was built in the 9th century. Situated on the edge of the old Roman road of the Piedmont des Vosges, this chapel with a centred plan, in the shape of a 4-leaf clover (4 absidioles) is covered with a dome. The octagonal bell tower with its beautiful tile-covered spire and its alternately simple and geminated windows was added during the Romanesque period. On the north side, a richly ornamented window has an access door to the bell tower. In 1774, St. Ulrich became the parish church of the village. A nave and a choir were added to it by removing the east apsidiolus to rectify the alignment with the walls and open the passage to the nave. In 1911, the neo-Romanesque church of St. Materne was built next to the church and became too small. These additions were demolished a little later (the nave and the choir of Saint-Ulrich) to keep only the old part (the remains on the ground allow today to see the layout of the old church). Inside the chapel there are 12th century frescoes that were hidden until 1968. It is probably during the Reformation period that they were covered with white whitewash. Three colours, green, red and ochre predominate. Alas, their faulty condition makes them difficult to read. In the dome is a starry sky with the Holy Trinity, God the Father and the Son. On the drum are represented the four evangelists. On the lower part, four paintings are separated by four Romanesque windows. They were extensively restored in the 15th century. In the 19th century, because of its circular plan, it was assumed that the chapel was an old baptistery. An archaeological survey in 1937 only revealed the existence of the older embankments and soils. Visit for groups by reservation at the Tourist Office