Basilique Notre-Dame de Thierenbach

Notre-Dame de Thierenbach, 2 km from Soultz enjoys an incomparable site at the foot of the Vieil Armand and the Grand Ballon. The origins of this Marian pilgrimage site date back to the 8th century (730) and is Baroque in style. It was founded by the Benedictine monks of Murbach from Ireland. In 1125, a young nobleman from Soultz, suffering from an incurable disease, was miraculously cured there. Five years later, in 1130, Pierre le Vénérable, abbot of Cluny, founded a Benedictine priory there, which was suppressed by the Revolution. The present church, in Austrian Baroque style, was built in 1723 by Peter THUMB. It became the parish church of Jungholtz in 1881 and was erected as a Minor Basilica by Pius XI in 1936. In 1980 the solemnity of the 1250th anniversary of the creation of the Pilgrimage was celebrated. Numerous ex-votos offered to accompany a request or a thank you to the Virgin Mary cover the walls of the church. More than 800 still exist today. The oldest dates from 1680. The Thierenbach Basilica has a Didier Fisher Krämer organ, dating from 1923. Numerous organ concerts are offered throughout the year. Guided tours for groups on reservation at the Tourist Office of Guebwiller Soultz and the Pays du Florival on 03 89 76 10 63.