Mont Sainte-Odile
Encyclopedia
Mont Sainte-Odile is a 760 m peak of the Vosges Mountains
in Alsace
in France
. The mountain is named for Saint Odile. It has a monastery/convent at its top called the Hohenburg Abbey
, and is notable also for its stone fortifications called "the Pagan Wall." In 1992, it was the site of an Airbus
crash.
ic settlements. The mountain enters recorded history during the Roman times; a fortress was supposedly destroyed by the Vandals
in 407. In the second half of the ninth century, when Vikings attacked the Low Countries
, which had been recently converted to Christianity and were governed from Utrecht
, the Utrecht bishops went into exile and stayed for a while in Mont Sainte-Odile.
At least since the nineteenth century, its beauty has been celebrated and the mountain, with convent and pagan wall, is often included in tourist guides, incl. Baedeker
's.
, in honor of his daughter, Saint Odile, about the end of the 7th century, and it is certain that it existed at the time of Charlemagne
. Destroyed during the Middle Ages, it was rebuilt by Premonstratensians at the beginning of the 17th century. It was acquired later by the bishop of Strasbourg
, who restored the building and the adjoining church in 1853.
A famous manuscript, the Hortus Deliciarum
, was compiled in the convent.
, an Airbus A320
, crashed on a ridge near Mont Sainte-Odile. There were 87 casualties and 9 survivors.
cameras.
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The mountain is named for Saint Odile. It has a monastery/convent at its top called the Hohenburg Abbey
Hohenburg Abbey
Mont Sainte-Odile Abbey, also known as Hohenburg Abbey, is a nunnery, situated on the Odilienberg, the most famous of the Vosges mountains in Alsace., which is better known today as Mont Sainte-Odile.-History:...
, and is notable also for its stone fortifications called "the Pagan Wall." In 1992, it was the site of an Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
crash.
History
The mountain and its surroundings contain evidence of CeltCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic settlements. The mountain enters recorded history during the Roman times; a fortress was supposedly destroyed by the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
in 407. In the second half of the ninth century, when Vikings attacked the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
, which had been recently converted to Christianity and were governed from Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, the Utrecht bishops went into exile and stayed for a while in Mont Sainte-Odile.
At least since the nineteenth century, its beauty has been celebrated and the mountain, with convent and pagan wall, is often included in tourist guides, incl. Baedeker
Baedeker
Verlag Karl Baedeker is a Germany-based publisher and pioneer in the business of worldwide travel guides. The guides, often referred as simply "Baedekers" , contain important introductions, descriptions of buildings, of museum collections, etc., written by the best specialists, and...
's.
Hohenburg Abbey
The convent is said to have been founded by Adalrich, Duke of AlsaceAdalrich, Duke of Alsace
Adalrich , also known as Eticho, was the Duke of Alsace, the founder of the family of the Etichonids, and an important and influential figure in the power politic of late seventh-century Austrasia....
, in honor of his daughter, Saint Odile, about the end of the 7th century, and it is certain that it existed at the time of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
. Destroyed during the Middle Ages, it was rebuilt by Premonstratensians at the beginning of the 17th century. It was acquired later by the bishop of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, who restored the building and the adjoining church in 1853.
A famous manuscript, the Hortus Deliciarum
Hortus deliciarum
Hortus deliciarum is a medieval manuscript compiled by Herrad of Landsberg at the Hohenburg Abbey in Alsace, better known today as Mont Sainte-Odile. It was an illuminated encyclopedia, begun in 1167 as a pedagogical tool for young novices at the convent. It is the first encyclopedia that was...
, was compiled in the convent.
The Pagan Wall
The Pagan Wall is a huge construction about ten kilometres long which encircles Mont Sainte Odile. It is composed of about 300,000 blocks, between 1.6 and 1.8 metres wide and up to three metres high. The origins and date of the wall are still disputed, with some claiming that it is a 3,000 year old druid construction and more recent research suggesting that it dates from the 7th century AD, about the time that the convent was built. The designation "Pagan" is attributed to Pope Leo IX.Airbus crash
At 7:20 pm on 20 January 1992, Air Inter Flight 148Air Inter Flight 148
Air Inter Flight 148 was a scheduled airline flight on 20 January 1992 that crashed in the Vosges Mountains, near Mont Sainte-Odile, while circling to land at Strasbourg Airport. 87 of the 96 onboard were killed....
, an Airbus A320
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
, crashed on a ridge near Mont Sainte-Odile. There were 87 casualties and 9 survivors.
Secret passage
Between August 2000 and May 2002 more than 1,000 ancient books went missing from the monastery library. A book collector stole the books after finding an old map showing a secret entrance into the library. The route was not easy, however, involving climbing up exterior walls, a steep staircase and a secret chamber. A mechanism then opened the back of one of five cupboards. The disappearance of so many books over such a length of time confused the librarian, the monks and the police, with Gosse finally being caught by closed-circuit televisionClosed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
cameras.