Basilicas in France—Alsace and Poitou-Charentes

Alsace

Basilica of Our Lady of Marienthal, Marienthal, Bas-Rhin, Grand-Est

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1892.

A church was built here in the 13th Century, but the current Gothic Revival church was built between 1863 and 1866.  A Madonna and a Pieta date to the early 15th Century.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Lutterbach, Haut-Rhin, Grand-Est

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1922.

The Neo-Romanesque church was built between 1905 and 1908 to replace an 18th Century Baroque church.  The church was heavily damaged during the Second World War, but reopened in 1953.

The top picture is from TripAdvisor and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Thierenbach, Jungholtz, Haut-Rhin, Grand-Est

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1936.

Benedictine monks evangelized this area around 730.  A young man was said to have been miraculously cured here in the 12th Century and this attracted the attention of the Abbot of Cluny.  Impressed by the area’s beauty and the number of pilgrims that it attracted, he opened a Cluniac priory in 1130.  The Cluny monks remained here until 1790 when they left due to the French Revolution.  The church has been destroyed many times due to war and fire and the current building dates to 1932.  

The first two pictures are from local sources and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Mont Sainte-Odile, Ottrott, Bas-Rhin, Grand-Est

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

The Duke of Alsace built a castle here in the 7th Century on top of a mountain 2,500 feet above sea level.  His daughter, St. Odile, converted the castle to a convent.  The convent church, which is the basilica, was built in a Baroque style between 1687 and 1692.  Over 1.3 million pilgrims come here every year, and perpetual adoration has been ongoing since 1931.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Poitou-Charentes

I blogged about the following basilica on May 20, 2019.

• Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter, Poitiers.

Co-Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter, Saintes, Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius IX in 1870.

The basilica is the co-cathedral for the Diocese of La Rochelle.  It was built between the 12th and 17th Centuries in a Flamboyant Gothic style.  The church was heavily damaged by Huguenot soldiers in 1568 but was mostly restored. 

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Eutrope, Saintes, Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1886.

The church was constructed between 1081 and the 15th Century employing Flamboyant Gothic and Romanesque styles.  Named for an early bishop and martyr, it was a stop on one of the pilgrimage roads to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.  It was staffed by monks from the Abbey of Cluny for several centuries up until the French Revolution.  By the beginning of the 19th Century, the church had physically deteriorated and had to be largely rebuilt.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, La Chapelle-Saint-Laurent, Deux Sevres, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

The Gothic church was constructed between 1891 and 1933.  It replaced an earlier church built to house a statue of the Virgin Mary discovered in the 16th Century.  Mary has been venerated at this site by pilgrims since that time. 

Pictures are from TripAdvisor and Wikipedia.