Visit of a fortified church with its cemetery

Name: Visita a una iglesia fortificada con su cementerio
Start: 2022-09-17T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2022-09-18T18:00:00+02:00
Location: Église romane et cimetière fortifié

Discover a unique medieval ensemble in the Molsheim region!

17 i 18 septiembre 2022Passed

Herramientas de registro

06 81 84 14 92

©Schimberlé Eddy

Discover a unique medieval ensemble in the Molsheim region!

This fortified complex is composed of the Romanesque church and its cemetery.
The church has a ceiling nave and a bell tower-keep with access at half-height, unique in Alsace! Within the church is a Jean-André Silbermann organ from 1747. Observe a curious object: a copy of the iron hand of Hans von Mittelhausen, the famous penguin bailiff of Balbronn.

About the location

Église romane et cimetière fortifié

Place du Pasteur Albert Kiefer, 67310 Balbronn

Bas-Rhin
Grand Est

The Romanesque church dates mainly from the 11th and 12th centuries. Originally, it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, as evidenced by the inscription written in Gothic minuscule above the entrance of the church. It rises on the site of a pagan sanctuary, perhaps Celtic. With the arrival of the monks at Haslach, the area was evangelized and a stone sanctuary was erected, replacing a wooden sanctuary.
The single-spaced ceiling nave is the oldest part. Its tall windows keep a mystical darkness. The entrance gate was remodelled in the 15th century, with re-use of the old Romanesque gate. The fortified cemetery dates from the 15th century. The sanctuary houses a 16th century bell and an organ built by Johann Andreas Silbermann in 1747.
The two enfeus on the north side lend themselves to different interpretations. They could be knights' graves, for example. The most likely version considers these to be two side chapels. The choir, very off-centre from the nave, contains the tomb of the knigh