Mont Sainte-Odile – A must-see in Alsace

Mon avis sur le Mont Sainte-Odile

What is the history of Mont Sainte-Odile?

History of Hohenbourg Abbey

In Celtic times, the mountain was called Altitona, which means “the high mountain”. For the Celts, it was already a place of worship and they built a fortress there, whose surrounding wall probably corresponds today to the famous “pagan wall”.

In the 7th century, the place belonged to the Duke of Alsace Adalric, the father of Sainte-Odile. He first had a residence built there, the Château de Hohenbourg. He rejected his daughter who was born blind and did not regain her sight until she was baptized at the age of 12. He will understand his destiny and will accept it only in front of the miracle of the opened rock (to know more about the legend of Sainte-Odile, “daughter of light”, it is by here).

He then built a monastery in 700, which he donated to Saint Odilia, who then transformed it into a convent. The place soon became a popular place of pilgrimage, especially for people with eye diseases. A national asset during the French Revolution, Mont Sainte-Odile was bought back by the bishopric of Strasbourg in 1854, which then restored it to its original monastic vocation.

La catastrophe aérienne du 20 janvier 1992

Mount Sainte-Odile is unfortunately not only famous for its convent… Indeed, on January 20, 1992 took place the disaster of the Mount Sainte-Odile: an Airbus A320 of the company Air Inter crashed on the top of the Bloss, near the Mount Sainte-Odile. 87 people died and only 9 people survived this terrible air crash. A memorial has been installed at the site of the tragedy, with watchmen carved in sandstone by sculptor Annie Greiner.

Que voir au Mont Sainte-Odile ?

📍 Conseil de locale : Arrêtez-vous aux parkings P2 ou P3 sur la route qui monte au Mont Sainte-Odile, et terminez à pied — ce n’est pas long. Le parking tout en haut (P1) est minuscule et souvent complet. Si vous préférez marcher depuis le début, le Sentier des Pèlerins depuis Ottrott (5 km, environ 1h30) est une jolie option.

Sanctuary of Mount Sainte-Odile

Theabbey of Mont Sainte-Odile is superb and it is very pleasant to walk there: it is cooler than in the plain, the view is incredible, the place is peaceful and invites to relaxation. Do not forget to visit the small chapels of the abbey, whose walls and ceilings are decorated with beautiful mosaics, frescoes and gilding.

A l’intérieur, vous découvrirez notamment :

• La Cour des Tilleuls, puis la Basilique
• La Cour du Cloître, dominée par une statue de Sainte-Odile
• La Chapelle Saint-Jean Baptiste et ses fresques
• La Chapelle de la Croix, partie la plus ancienne du couvent, datant du 12e siècle
• La Chapelle Sainte-Odile et le sarcophage comprenant les reliques de Sainte-Odile
• La Grande Terrasse et sa superbe vue, avec un cadran solaire datant du 17e siècle
• La Chapelle des Larmes, où vous pourrez apercevoir quelques tombes mérovingiennes
• La Chapelle des Anges, construite au 12e siècle

On trouve aussi dans l’abbaye un hôtel, un restaurant ainsi qu’un self (je ne vous conseille pas ces deux options de restauration, ce n’est vraiment pas terrible). J’ai beaucoup apprécié de voir un lieu religieux aussi vivant, de par la cohabitation entre religieux et visiteurs.

Source Sainte-Odile

Located below the abbey, the Sainte-Odile spring is an important place of pilgrimage in Alsace. It can be reached by car or on foot from the road leading to the Mont Sainte-Odile. It is Odile who would have made it gush out by striking a rock with her stick in order to help an old blind man met there, and the miraculous spring would thus have effects on the diseases related to the eyes.

Le Mur Païen, une énigme vieille de 11 km

A 10 minutes de l’abbaye, on peut donc notamment se rendre au mur païen, une ancienne enceinte dont on ne connaît pas l’origine et faisant l’objet de nombreuses hypothèses. Pour un visiteur non-averti, il s’agit uniquement d’un vieux mur… C’est en tout cas une jolie balade dans la forêt.

📍 Conseil de locale : Le mur païen est facile à manquer si vous ne prêtez pas attention — je suis passée devant sans le remarquer la première fois !

The pagan wall is eleven kilometers long and runs around the plateau of Mont Sainte-Odile. Formed by about 300 000 blocks of stone, sometimes up to 3 meters high and with a thickness varying from 1 to 2 meters, scientists have not been able to determine if it was a defensive or cultural enclosure and its construction remains an enigma.

Recent analyses date its construction to the 7th century (but this may also be the date of restoration), whereas its origins have long been traced back to prehistoric times. There is no lack of hypotheses, but they are only hypotheses: Oppidum of the Tène, refuge for the populations of the plain, sacred enclosure, delimitation of territory… the enigma of the pagan wall remains today whole and it is a big part of the charm of the stroll!

Randonner autour du Mont Sainte-Odile

The visit does not end here! Many hiking trails start from the Mont Sainte-Odile. You can discover the Way of the Cross and the Grotto of Lourdes, take a tour of the rock on which the convent is built, the Sainte-Odile spring, as well as Niedermunster, the remains of the old abbey, the “sentier des Merveilles” and of course the famous pagan wall, which you can walk around. There are many hiking trails in the area, so you’ll be spoiled for choice! If you’re looking for a nice hike, Léa recommends the North Pagan Wall hike, one of her favorites!

Ce qu’il faut retenir sur le Mont Sainte-Odile

• Un site gratuit, ouvert toute l’année, entre pèlerinage et panorama exceptionnel sur la Plaine d’Alsace
• L’abbaye, la source miraculeuse et le mystérieux mur païen se visitent en une demi-journée
• Privilégiez les parkings P2/P3 et terminez à pied pour éviter la galère du P1

Envie de prolonger la balade ? Direction notre randonnée du mur païen nord →

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