Obersteigen
Chapelle Sainte-Marie-de-l’Assomption
Presentation
This former monastery church, completed between 1220 and 1225, is an interesting example of the transition between the Romanesque style (western portal and semi-circular bays) and the Gothic style (buttresses with projecting arches, ogives resting on a ring of columns, hooked capitals, etc.). This new style, which is probably not directly related to the arrival of the Chartres workshop at the construction site of the southern crosspiece of Strasbourg cathedral, is more a reflection of Burgundian influences moving towards Lorraine. Of the conventual buildings belonging to the community of Augustinian canons, only the refectory, a watchtower and the former prior’s house are still visible.
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The former convent church at Obersteigen, although largely Romanesque, is an important milestone in the development of Gothic art in Alsace.
Of modest dimensions, the chapel dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary has a western façade with a semi-circular portal at the base and a gable at the top with two very narrow arched windows and a central oculus. The nave is buttressed by double projecting buttresses and a corbelled roof. The semi-circular windows in the choir are higher than those in the nave. The north façade was originally concealed by the cloister.
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