Avolsheim is located some 22 km west by south-west of Strasbourg and 18 km north of Obernai. Access to the commune is by the D422 from Odratzheim in the north which passes through the centre of the commune and the town and continues south to Molsheim. The D127 goes east from the town to Dachstein. Apart from the significant sized urban area the commune is mixed forest and farmland.[5]
The Bruche river flows north through the east of the commune and abruptly turns right near the northern border of the commune before continuing east to join a branch of the RhineatStrasbourg. The Mossig river flows from the north-west forming the northern border of the commune before joining the Bruche.
The first written record of the name of a village in the current commune dates from the year 788 and is called Hunzolfesheim. It was found in 1051 spelled Avelsheim then Afelsheim in 1350 with a dialectal form Âfelse. In 1496 it was written Afeltzheim and in 1589 Avelssheim again but with two "s". Since then, the village has had its present name and its spelling has not changed.
The prefix offe (offen in German = "open") was the origin of the name Avolsheim and therefore means "Open Town". It is possible that this name was given to the village since it was devoid of walls, which in the Middle Ages was relatively rare.
There is an old local saying in dialect: Es steht offe wie Âfelse ("It is as open as Avolsheim") suggesting that at one time the steeple at Avolsheim, which remained so long in ruins so was "open to the sky", that this could have been the origin of its name. This argument, with the previous one, are confirmed by the popular phrase, Fescht wie Landau un Offe wie Âfelse meaning "A Fort (or fortified) like Landau or open like Avolsheim".
Avolsheim is located on the Gallo-Roman road linking Molsheim to Saverne. Many objects dating from this period were excavated in 1930.
In the 10th century the area had two distinct hamlets: Avelsheim one hand, corresponding roughly to the current village, and Tumpfieter, Dompieter, or Domphietenheim, a village consisting of a group of a few farms and a mill located at a church called the Dompeter.
The last mention of this hamlet was in the 16th century. It probably died as a village by the end of the same century. For some historians doubt remains: it may have disappeared in the 17th century, its destruction following the Siege of Dachstein by the armies of Turenne.
Avolsheim was put in vassalage to the Counts of Ostoffen, then to von Murnhart in 1384, and finally remained with von Beger until 1521. From 1534 until the Revolution, the area was a fief of the dignitaries of the diocese.
The village has been linked to the sub-prefecture of Molsheim since the Revolution.
Avolsheim was once on the Sélestat to Saverne railway line before the section from Molsheim to Saverne was removed in 1967 and replaced with a bicycle path.
The Avolsheim Dam was built in 1682 on the Bruche Canal that was built by Vauban. This canal was used to transport blocks of sandstone to Strasbourg from quarries at Soultz-les-Bains and Wolxheim which were necessary for the construction of the Citadel of Strasbourg. This dam enabled the keeping of the water level high enough to supply the canal located a little further down.
The commune has two religious buildings that are registered as historical monuments:
The Chapel of Saint-Ullrich (10th century).[23][24] The original building dates back to the 11th or end of the 10th century. In 1774 the chapel was transformed to become the new church adopting the facade that is seen today. The chapel consists of an original Tetraconch which is the oldest still existing in Alsace located along the ancient Roman road in the foothills of the Vosges. Taking the form of a clover leaf covered by a dome, the chapel is surmounted by an unusual octagonal tower. In 1774 a church was built next to the chapel to replace the Dompeter that was too far away. The church was finally demolished in 1911 because the building was too small. The central dome and mural paintings were revealed in 1968 when a layer of whitewash was removed. The chapel contains two items that are registered as historical objects:
The Parish Church of Saint-Materne (1911).[27] The Church of Saint-Materne was built in 1911 by architect Johann Knauth who was responsible for Strasbourg Cathedral. This building is the current parish church for Avolsheim which was consecrated in 1936. It is Neo-Romanesque and consists of a nave with aisles overlooked by a barrel-vaulted choir. The bell tower over the sacristy has three which were cast for the old parish church. When construction was complete the organ, dating from 1867 and which was installed by Joseph Dompeter Stiehr, was transferred from the old Church. The church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:
A Relief: Bélier at 1 Place de l'Ecole (12th century)[41]
A Wayside Cross: Christ on the Cross (H) at Route du Vin (1705)[42]
Other religious buildings
The Church of Dompeter
The Church of Dompeter - one of the oldest churches in Alsace. This church is located in the centre of the Molsheim-Dachstein-Avolsheim triangle. Dedicated to Saint Peter by Materne, its exact age is not known but it is certain that Pope Leo IX consecrated the Dompeter around 1050. The name of the place comes from the LatinDomus Petri (stone house) although there is no trace of the primitive shrine which, according to legend, dates back to the beginning of Christianity. Excavations in 1914 revealed that the foundations on which the Dompeter is made date from Merovingian times. The various changes it has undergone have preserved traces of the era when the changes were done. It is an architectural wealth that allows the observation of the styles of different eras in one place: its bell tower is a perfect example. In 1767 the tower was partially destroyed in a fire. The destroyed part was replaced by an octagonal floor with a spire. After the abandonment of the building between the two wars, the Scouts have done some work in order to ensure its preservation. On the plaques which decorate the walls of the choir are engraved the names of the Scouts of Alsace who died during the Second World War. The church has one item that is registered as an historical object:
2 Statues: Saint Catherine and Saint Apolline (18th century)[43]
Avolsheim over time: between Bruche and Mossig, Carré blanc, Strasbourg, 2003, 96 p. ISBN2-84488-053-3(in French)
Marc Grandadam, The Romanesque buildings in Avolsheim: Church of Dompeter, Chapel of Saint Ulrich, M. Grandadam, 1989, 20 p. (in French)
Sigrid Metken, Dompeter in Avolsheim, Schnell u. Steiner Verlag, Munich, Zurich, 1968, 23 p. (in German)
François Reiner, Notice on the Ancient Church of Avolsheim, Levrault F. G, Strasbourg, 1827, 39 p. (in French)
Louis Schlaefli, Avolsheim: small stories of great history, in Yearbook of the Historical and Archaeological Society of Molsheim and environs, 1996, p. 5-24 (in French)
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