Strueth: Chapels, village crosses and history

Chapels and village crosses give Strueth a clear cultural heritage focus. The themes range from the design of sacred spaces to religious imagery and a local tradition connected with funeral processions. The walk “Promenade dans Strueth à la découverte de ses croix” is dedicated to discovering the village crosses. For travellers who want to include cultural history in their plans, this provides a clearly defined theme.

Chapels: architectural form and artistic details

The Chapelle Saint-André is located on Rue de la Chapelle in Strueth. Its choir has a rib-vaulted ceiling, with a St Andrew’s cross carved into the keystone. The chapel can therefore be characterised both by the form of its choir and by a specific detail of its vault. This combination is of interest for a cultural heritage visit because both the architectural design and the religious symbol are clearly identified here.

The Chapelle Sainte-Élisabeth offers a different architectural emphasis. It was built of concrete in 1951–1952 and is distinguished by its simple geometric forms. Its stained-glass windows were created by Jean Barillet. The contrast brings out different features: the choir and keystone define the Chapelle Saint-André, while the Sainte-Élisabeth is characterised by its material, geometric forms and windows. This makes it possible to distinguish the two chapels by their individual architectural and artistic details.

Village crosses: motifs and local history

The Croix près du réservoir is a stone cross dating from 1803. It bears an IHS Christogram, with a heart below it from which three nails emerge. The date, material and imagery offer different ways to describe this cross: it is a dated monument with a specific religious depiction.

The Croix Richert was erected in 1883 by Xavier Richert and Maria Anna Kaiser. Historically, it served as a stopping place for the funeral processions of people from Strueth who were buried in the cemetery at Mertzen. The cross is therefore connected with a specific local tradition, not just a year of construction. Those interested in the history of memorial sites will find here a particularly clear link between the monument and the way funeral processions were conducted at the time.

Two old lime trees stand beside the Croix sous les tilleuls, casting shade over the cross. An inscription links it to a precisely quantified devotion: according to the inscription, praying five Our Fathers and five Hail Marys grants an indulgence of 30 days. Alongside its location beneath the lime trees, the inscription is therefore an essential part of its traditional significance. This example offers a different way of approaching the village crosses than their construction date or erection: here, the focus is on a religious practice and its written form.

The Croix du Kirchweg was reinstalled in November 2020 beside the municipal path, to the right of the footbridge over the Largue. A small wooden bench beside the cross provides a resting place for walkers. The precisely described location and the bench give this cross a distinct connection to the path and to a place where pedestrians can rest. Its reinstallation in November 2020 is part of the monument’s more recent local history.

A walk with a clear focus

The cultural heritage walk “Promenade dans Strueth à la découverte de ses croix” is dedicated to discovering the village crosses. For travellers who want to give this subject particular attention, it offers a clear focus. The crosses described here provide different points of interest: a construction date and depiction, a historical function, an inscription or a connection with a municipal path. Together with the two chapels, they form a varied cultural heritage theme for planning a trip, without reducing all the monuments to the same history or design.

Discover more destinations: Wittenheim, Herrlisheim-près-Colmar, Ottmarsheim, Seppois-le-Bas, Bischwihr, Houssen, Hohrod, Steinbach.

For the broader travel overview: Haut-Rhin.