Niedermunster Abbey, Alsace

Niedermunster Abbey, situated at the foot of Mount Saint Odile at an altitude of 511 metres, was founded around 700 A.D. to cater for the overflow of pilgrims to the Saint Odile Abbey, formerly known as the Hohenbourg.

The abbey was founded by Saint Odile of Alsace, who was also the first Abbess. When Saint Odile died, in Niedermunster Abbey in 720, her niece Gundelina took over as abbess. ^[1]

Until the end of the 12th century, the two abbeys formed a single institution, but from the beginning of the 13th century, they began to operate as separate establishments. In 1542 the abbey came under the authority of the Great Chapter of Strasbourg Cathedral.

The Abbey buildings of which the ruins are still visible today were built between 1150 and 1180 AD. The Abbey was seriously damaged during the Peasants' War in 1525 and again by two fires, in 1542 and 1572. The nuns abandoned the abbey in 1545 and it was never reoccupied.

The site was then used, up until the 19th century, as a quarry for other buildings, including the adjacent farm. ^[2]

A hospital was built at the site, in addition to the abbey.

For several centuries the abbey was known for its relics, the head and arm of Saint Lazarus of Marseille. When the abbey was burnt down these were transferred to Andlau, eventually disappearing during the French Revolution.