Eschau

Eschau is located on the old Roman road linking Basel-Augst to Strasbourg. Sainte-Sophie Abbey was founded around 770 by three members of the ducal family of Alsace: Rémy, bishop of Strasbourg, Adala, the first abbess of Eschau, and Roduna, a nun. The monastery, destroyed by the Hungarians in 926, was rebuilt by Bishop Widerold around 996. A remarkable cloister was built around 1130 to the north of the abbey church. Using fragments found during archaeological excavations, the Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame in Strasbourg presents a partial reconstruction. In 1143, the abbey founded ‘a hospital for pilgrims from all over’ on the ‘Roman road’ passing through Eschau. Since 1989, a monastic medicinal plant garden has revived the nuns’ charitable and medicinal activities.

This building, which is representative of Ottonian architecture, has its roots in the imperial art of Charlemagne. Saint-Trophime differs from other buildings with pillars and timbered ceilings, such as those in Avolsheim or Altenstadt. It is reminiscent of other Ottonian basilicas, such as those in Reichenau and Hildesheim.

Because of its volumes and proportions, Saint-Trophime is considered to be a representative example of early Alsatian Romanesque art, linked to Carolingian-Ottoman architecture. Several features distinguish it from later Romanesque churches. The central nave is twice as wide as the aisles. The rectangular crossing is delimited by two high diaphragm arches and two lower arches; the transept, which is lower than the nave, is a feature of Carolingian architecture. The apse, directly adjoining the crossing, is monumental in scale. This interplay of shapes and sizes is characteristic of Ottonian architecture.

Elevation: Six arcades on square pillars separate the central nave from the aisles. The six windows originally pierced in the gutter walls of the high nave have disappeared, replaced by openings made in the 18th century. Only the pillars and arches of the crossing are made of ashlar; the rest of the building is made of small-scale masonry.

Volumes and proportions: Apart from the single apse with a barrel vault, the entire building has timber-framed ceilings. The aisles are exactly half the width of the central nave. The crossing is rectangular in plan. There are traces of square compartments at the west end of the aisles. The original proportions of the building have been slightly altered. Compared to the original volumes, the current floor level is more than one metre higher.