Eglise abbatiale sainte-croix

Standing proudly on the banks of the river Nied, the Abbey Church of the Holy Cross is not ostentatious from the outside, but rather stands out for the purity and sobriety of its lines. The interior of this thousand-year-old building is surprisingly beautiful on all levels. The beautiful stained glass windows* alone are worth the trip, but don't forget to look down at the floor to admire the superb cement tiles, not to mention the furniture, which combines ancient and modern to perfection... the charm of the place will leave you speechless! However... the history of this building, dating from 1030 AD, is even more astonishing! Initially a monastery, the abbey church was destroyed many times by war and a terrible fire, but was always rebuilt. It owes its name to a relic, a small piece of the Holy Cross, brought back from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land by its founder, Adalbert II of Alsace, Count of Metz, and burnt during the Revolution. But did you know that Adalbert and his wife Judith ... were none other than the grandparents of Gérard II of Alsace, founder of the Ducal House of Lorraine ... but also of the City of Nancy? Let's face it, we are not a little proud to say that in Bouzonville there is a piece of the early history of our beautiful region of Lorraine Are we chauvinists? (* made by the Thomas de Valence workshops in the 1950s)