Église Saint-Materne d'Avolsheim, Romanesque Revival church in Avolsheim, France

Église Saint-Materne d'Avolsheim is a neo-Romanesque basilica built from 1907 to 1911 to plans by Johann Knauth, the architect also responsible for Strasbourg Cathedral. Its rough pale stone facade has sandstone-coloured trim, a gabled section with a round window and pointed portal, a round stair turret with a green conical roof, a lower side aisle, and a square white bell tower with a red pyramidal roof that houses the sacristy on its ground floor.

The present church was built from 1907 to 1911 to designs by Johann Knauth, the architect also responsible for Strasbourg Cathedral, in neo-Romanesque style. It replaced the village chapel of St. Ulrich, which had been enlarged with a nave in the 18th century because the old parish church, Dompeter, stood 500 m outside the village. Consecration followed only in 1936.

The parish patron is Saint Maternus, and two bells consecrated in 2012 for the building's centenary honour him and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein); the other two honour Saint Peter of the older Dompeter church and his legendary daughter Petronilla. The organ, built by Joseph Stiehr's workshop and installed at Dompeter in 1867, was moved here when the church was finished and restored in 2007; it has ten stops on one manual and three in the pedal.

The church is located near Strasbourg and opens regularly for services and visitors. It helps to check ahead about visiting times, especially if you want to spend time inside exploring the space.

The three bronze bells in the tower were cast for the older church of Dompeter, two in 1750 and 1753 and one in 1788, and moved here once the new church was finished. For the building's centenary in 2012, two more bells were consecrated, dedicated to Saint Maternus and to Edith Stein.