page_title: Avolsheim
section_title: Religious heritage
hierarchical_section_title: Avolsheim / Culture and heritage / Religious heritage
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Avolsheim - Eglise Saint-Materne -1
context_page_description: Avolsheim is a French commune in the Bas-Rhin department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France.
  The inhabitants of the commune are known as Avolsheimois or Avolsheimoises.
  The commune has been awarded one flower by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.
context_section_description: The commune has two religious buildings that are registered as historical monuments:
  The Chapel of Saint-Ullrich (10th century). The original building dates back to the 11th or end of the 10th century. In 1774 the chapel was transformed to become the new church adopting the facade that is seen today. The chapel consists of an original Tetraconch which is the oldest still existing in Alsace located along the ancient Roman road in the foothills of the Vosges. Taking the form of a clover leaf covered by a dome, the chapel is surmounted by an unusual octagonal tower. In 1774 a church was built next to the chapel to replace the Dompeter that was too far away. The church was finally demolished in 1911 because the building was too small. The central dome and mural paintings were revealed in 1968 when a layer of whitewash was removed. The chapel contains two items that are registered as historical objects:
  A Monumental Painting (12th century)
  An Altar (18th century)
  The Parish Church of Saint-Materne (1911). The Church of Saint-Materne was built in 1911 by architect Johann Knauth who was responsible for Strasbourg Cathedral. This building is the current parish church for Avolsheim which was consecrated in 1936. It is Neo-Romanesque and consists of a nave with aisles overlooked by a barrel-vaulted choir. The bell tower over the sacristy has three which were cast for the old parish church. When construction was complete the organ, dating from 1867 and which was installed by Joseph Dompeter Stiehr, was transferred from the old Church. The church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
  A Statue: Virgin and child (16th century)
  A Statue: Virgin and child (18th century)
  A Processional Cross (15th century)
  A Bronze Bell (1788)
  2 Bronze Bells (1750 and 1753)
  An Organ (19th century)
  A Processional Cross (2) (17th century)
  A Processional Cross (1) (18th century)
  A number of other sites are registered as historical objects:
  A Wayside Cross: Mount Calvary: Flagellation of Christ at Chemin Werwelweg (17th century)
  A Wayside Cross: Climbing Mount Calvary at C.D. 121 (1856)
  A Wayside Cross N called Bildstock (18th century)
  A Wayside Cross: Christ on the Cross (M) at Route du Vin (1841)
  A Wayside Cross F called Bildstock (1623)
  A Relief: Bélier at 1 Place de l'Ecole (12th century)
  A Wayside Cross: Christ on the Cross (H) at Route du Vin (1705)
  Other religious buildings
  The Church of Dompeter - one of the oldest churches in Alsace. This church is located in the centre of the Molsheim-Dachstein-Avolsheim triangle. Dedicated to Saint Peter by Materne, its exact age is not known but it is certain that Pope Leo IX consecrated the Dompeter around 1050. The name of the place comes from the Latin Domus Petri (stone house) although there is no trace of the primitive shrine which, according to legend, dates back to the beginning of Christianity. Excavations in 1914 revealed that the foundations on which the Dompeter is made date from Merovingian times. The various changes it has undergone have preserved traces of the era when the changes were done. It is an architectural wealth that allows the observation of the styles of different eras in one place: its bell tower is a perfect example. In 1767 the tower was partially destroyed in a fire. The destroyed part was replaced by an octagonal floor with a spire. After the abandonment of the building between the two wars, the Scouts have done some work in order to ensure its preservation. On the plaques which decorate the walls of the choir are engraved the names of the Scouts of Alsace who died during the Second World War. The church has one item that is registered as an historical object:
  2 Statues: Saint Catherine and Saint Apolline (18th century)
caption: The Church of Saint-Materne
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