Mount Saint Odile: A Magnificent Monastery

I recently visited one of Ottrott’s most celebrated attractions named Mount Saint Odile.  Historians say that in the 8^th century, the wife of a nobleman named Etichon gave birth to a baby girl who was born blind.  The daughter, named Odile, regained her sight during her confirmation in her adolescence.  Her father being inspired by the miracle decided to construct a monastery in her name.  Since that period, other buildings were added and destroyed due to wars during the middle ages.  The monastery was purchased in the 1860s which was the beginning of its restoration.

The twisty mountain roads that climb up the Vosges Mountains to the monastery are surrounded by mature pine forests.  The day I visited Mount Saint Odile, it was overcast and raining.  The forest took on a mystic feel with limited visibility through the ground level fog.  I was visiting the monastery with some new friends that I had encountered through the mandatory immigration training that I was required to take upon my arrival in France.  Steve is an American like me who married an Alsatian.  Steve and his wife Isabelle had just moved to France themselves.

Isabelle parallel parked their miniature car and we headed for the entrance.  The main entrance passes through an oval tunnel that runs the length of the front building.  There are no longer any doors in place but you could easily imagine massive wooden doors at the entrance providing security for the monastery residents.  After passing through the entrance, you arrive at an open garden area surrounded by pink sandstone buildings.  The massive stone blocks that form the buildings and stain glass windows and stone sculptures that decorate it give the building its character and solemn strength. 

The monastery was constructed on a massive sandstone outcropping at the top of a mountain overlooking the Rhine Valley below.  The fog prevented us from having a spectacular view on this visit; however, on a clear day you can see across the Rhine Valley to the Black Forest in Germany which is less than 50 miles away.  While walking around the property, we heard the sound of a brass band.  Surprised to hear the strong sounds at a monastery, we searched for the source.  We eventually found the source and were treated to a special musical performance of a group of trumpeters wearing traditional clothing and playing Alsatian folks songs.