Notre-Dame d'Altbronn Chapel

At the northern exit of the wine-growing village of Ergersheim, on the road to Furdenheim, stands the Maria Altbronn chapel, the last remnant of the medieval village of Altbronn. This hamlet, called Altbrunne (the old fountain), flourished in the early Middle Ages before disappearing in the 14th century, a victim of civil wars and the Black Death. Bishop Guillaume de Diest established it as a pilgrimage site in honor of the Virgin Mary in 1397, as evidenced by a slab sealed on the south side of the building. The sanctuary experienced periods of prosperity and decline in the 15th and 16th centuries before being entrusted to the Jesuits by Bishop Jean de Manderscheidt. The pilgrimage declined after the suppression of the Jesuit College in 1765. Acquired in 1883 by the Ergersheim Fabric Council, the site has since attracted a growing number of pilgrims. Nearby, the Trappist nuns who settled in Ergersheim in 1895 adopted the name Altbronn for their monastery. Inside the chapel, ceramic plaques made by the Elchinger workshops depict the Passion of Christ around a Pietà. Not far away, the Sainte-Anne spring, reputed for its virtues against difficult childbirths, has been mentioned since the 16th century by the Jesuits. According to legend, it was discovered by a young shepherd guided by celestial songs.