Church Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, Romanesque abbey church in Ottmarsheim, France.
The church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul is a Romanesque abbey building with an unusual octagonal floor plan topped by a central dome. Walls of pale yellow-gray limestone are combined with rose-colored sandstone from the Vosges, creating a soft two-tone appearance.
A count named Rudolf von Altenburg founded the abbey in 1030, establishing an important religious center in the region. Pope Leo IX, himself an Alsatian, consecrated the completed church in 1049.
The village name combines that of Othmar of Saint-Gall, the 8th-century abbot who owned land nearby, with the Germanic term Heim. The church was consecrated in 1049 by Pope Leo IX, an Alsatian from the Eguisheim family, who placed the nunnery under the direct protection of the papal states in return for an annual payment of a white tunic and a shoulder cloth.
Tours in French and German help visitors understand the interior and its details throughout the year. Free parking spaces are available for cars, coaches, and bicycles near the entrance.
The 15th-century wall paintings were whitewashed in 1695 during a restoration that also rebuilt the damaged dome. They were rediscovered in 1875 and uncovered again in 1903. The community bought the church in 1792 to keep it as a parish church after the abbey was sold off during the Revolution.
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