Chapelle Sainte-Odile

The Sainte-Odile chapel was rebuilt when the Strasbourg cathedral chapter was the master of Scherwiller. It was located on the site of an earlier chapel dating back to 1118, dedicated to the patron saint of Alsace. In 1298, this chapel was used as a parish and served by a vicar. According to legend, St. Odile stayed in Scherwiller, where her nurse came from. An important place of pilgrimage, it remained so in the 18th century. The church holds a relic of the saint, donated on May 4, 1836, from her tomb and carried in procession from Mont Sainte-Odile on December 13, 1836.
A painting on canvas depicting the infant Jesus cuddled up to his mother can be seen in the chapel, behind the grille to the left of the entrance. A painting by Carola Sorg, telling the story of St. Odile, can be seen in front of the gate on the right.
A reliquary of St. Odile can be seen in the choir, the primitive Vosges sandstone altar dressed with a Baroque wooden structure. In the center, the patron saint of Alsace holds the abbess's crozier and a book depicting her eyes. At the top of the altar is the Holy Family.
On May 20, 1525, during the Battle of the Rustauds, the soldiers of Duke Antoine de Lorraine set fire to the town of Scherwiller. Like other buildings, the two sanctuaries fell prey to the flames. After these tragic events, the parish church was rebuilt in 1528, and according to Philippe André Grandidier, the Sainte-Odile chapel was still a popular place of pilgrimage in the 18th century.
On February 16, 1853, the heirs Viscount and Baron de Beaufranchet donated the chapel to the commune of Scherwiller, with the proviso that a mass would be celebrated annually on February 3 for the repose of the donors' souls. In the minutes of the August 22, 1853 municipal council meeting chaired by François Xavier Guntz, it is stated that he accepted the donation.
In 2015, the Scherwiller local council undertook a major restoration project, including interior renovation (altar and furnishings) and reconstruction (in 2017) of a new bell tower over the nave, identical to the original one that had been demolished.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scherwiller#Chapelle_Sainte-Odile
Visible from the outside only.

Opening times