Sainte-Odile Chapel

The Sainte-Odile Chapel, rebuilt during the time when the chapter of Strasbourg Cathedral governed Scherwiller, stands on the site of an older chapel founded in 1118 in honor of Saint Odile, patron saint of Alsace. By 1298, it served as a parish and was served by a vicar. According to legend, Saint Odile stayed in Scherwiller, as her nurse was from this village. This pilgrimage site, very popular from the 18th century onward, preserves a relic of the saint, gifted in 1836 and transferred in procession from Mount Sainte-Odile on December 13 of the same year.

Inside, behind the entrance grille, a canvas painting depicts the infant Jesus nestled against his mother. To the right of the grille, a painting signed by Carola Sorg illustrates the story of Saint Odile. In the choir, the original Vosges sandstone altar, adorned with a baroque wooden structure, houses a reliquary containing the saint's relics. She is depicted holding an abbess's crozier and a book symbolizing eyes, while the Holy Family sits atop the altar.

The chapel suffered damage during the Battle of the Rustauds in 1525, when soldiers of Duke Antoine of Lorraine set fire to Scherwiller. The parish church, to which the chapel belonged, was rebuilt in 1528. Despite these trials, Sainte-Odile Chapel remained a major pilgrimage site in the 18th century.

In 1853, the heirs of the Viscount and Baron de Beaufranchet donated the chapel to the commune of Scherwiller, on the condition that an annual mass be celebrated for the repose of their souls. This donation was accepted by the municipal council on August 22, 1853.

Between 2015 and 2017, significant restoration was carried out: interior renovation (altar and furnishings) and reconstruction of a new bell turret on the nave, faithful to the original destroyed one.