Six leagues from Strasbourg a high mountain, pyramidal in form, rises
abruptly over the chain of the Vosges. On its summit are some antique
churches and chapels and an old convent. The fertile country at its foot
is peopled by a great number of smiling villages and several small towns.
Its sides are covered with fine forests, in the midst of which may be seen
the ruined walls of old monasteries, the crenellated and picturesque
towers of several mediæval castles, and the _débris_ of an ancient wall of
pagan times. This mountain, called in ancient times Altitona or
Hohenbourg, was once the principal bulwark of Alsace. In the VIIth century
it received the name of Mount St. Odile, and became a celebrated resort
for pilgrims.
A shady pathway, and not of difficult ascent, leads to the top of Mount
St. Odile, which commands a view as remarkable for extent as for interest
and variety. The whole of Alsace, and a large part of the Grand Duchy of
Baden, are spread out at the feet of the spectator; bounded on one side by
the jagged chain of the Black Forest, whose blue outlines are seen on the
horizon, and on the other by the Vosges, which are rounder and more
pleasing to the eye. A dense forest of pines covers the Vosges, and on all
sides, even on the highest crests, may be seen the ruins of old feudal
castles which hundreds of years ago played their _rôle_ in the history of
the province. The Rhine passes through the middle of this magnificent
valley. On each shore are forests, vineyards, meadows, and admirably
cultivated fields. A line of dazzling brightness marks the sinuous course
of the river, which, sometimes dividing, forms a great number of verdant
isles.
The dense population of the country around gives an idea of its richness
and fertility. Orchards surround the villages; rustic churches, covered
with deep‐hued tiles, rise up from the smiling groves; more imposing
belfries mark the towns, and the magnificent spire of Strasbourg points
out, through the transparent vapor, the old capital of the province. The
whole plain is furrowed by fine roads in every direction, which, bordered
by walnut‐trees, form an immense net‐work of verdure. Towards the north
the valley of the Rhine is lost in the vapory distance; on the south the
Vosges blend with the Jura mountains; and in perfectly clear weather the
glaciers of Switzerland may be seen at sunset, like gilded clouds on the
horizon.
This landscape is superb at all times, but is particularly beautiful on a
Sunday morning in spring‐time. A fresh verdure then covers the earth, and
the fruit‐trees, all in bloom, give the whole of Alsace a _parure de
fête_. The far‐off sound of the bells ringing in every direction to call
the people to prayer, and the varied sounds of the plain brought up by the
wind, mingle with the mysterious voices of nature, penetrating the soul
with a subduing and profound sentiment, and filling it with ineffable
peace.
Such is the aspect of the region where took place most of the facts I am
about to relate. But, before speaking of the development of the monastic
orders in Alsace, and of the convent of Hohenbourg and its illustrious
foundress in particular, I will briefly relate the details that have been
preserved respecting the introduction of Christianity into the province of
which we are speaking.
Tradition attributes the origin of the Alsacian churches to the immediate
successors of the apostles; but others date the Mission of S. Materne (and
his companions Euchaire and Valère) among the Triboci and the Nemetes, and
that of S. Clement among the Mediomatrici, only from the end of the IIId
century or the beginning of the IVth. They were the real apostles of the
valley of the Rhine. Some think they were called the disciples of S. Peter
merely to show that they were sent by his successors, and that their
teachings were in conformity with those of the head of the church.(24)
However this may be, there is no doubt that S. Materne founded the first
Christian churches of Alsace upon the ruins of old pagan temples in the
forests of Novient and in the towns of Helvetia and Argentorat.
Shortly after the conversion of Constantine, the Holy See sent Amandus and
Jesse, the first as bishop of Argentoratum (Strasbourg) and the other of
Augusta Nemetum (Speyer), of which city Constantius Chlorus is considered
the restorer or founder.
Among the eighty‐four bishops assembled at the Council of Cologne in the
year 346, the names of Jesse of the Nemetes and Amandus of Argentoratum
are found. S. Amandus, the first known pastor of Strasbourg, is at the
head of a long line of bishops who have given an example of true holiness,
and who have a claim on the admiration and gratitude of posterity. But
almost immediately after the death of Constantine the Great the spread of
the Christian religion in Alsace was arrested, partly owing to the rulers,
and partly to the bloody wars of which the Rhine valley was the theatre,
especially the invasion of Atilla, who either massacred the bishops or
carried them off with their flocks. This caused a vacancy in the See of
Strasbourg for many years. It passed under the spiritual jurisdiction of
Metz till 510, when the see was re‐established.
The great victory of Clovis over the Germans, and his baptism, gave rise
to a new epoch in the history of Alsace and in the spread of Christianity.
Argentoratum, which had been devastated by the barbarians, was restored by
Clovis and resumed its importance. The kings of the Franks built a palace
there which they often occupied.
Clovis re‐established the episcopal see at the beginning of the VIth
century, and laid the foundations of the cathedral in 510. From his time
the Christian religion spread more rapidly in the province, and was soon
professed by the whole country.