Fontaine miraculeuse de Saint-Quirin

Saint-Quirin

At the foot of the priory church with its three onion-domed towers, a fountain flows into three successive basins under the watch of a stone statue of Saint Quirin as a Roman officer. The legend attached to the saint is a story of healing: a military tribune under Trajan, Quirin is said to have seen his daughter Balbina, who suffered from scrofula, cured on the spot on touching the chains of Pope Alexander I, whom he held prisoner — a wonder said to have brought about his conversion and then his martyrdom. The transfer of his relics to Saint-Quirin in 1050 made the village a centre of pilgrimage, confirmed by the consecration of the priory church in 1123; the present building, rebuilt in 1722 in the Baroque taste, owes its silhouette to two square towers linked by a footbridge. The fountain is believed to cure skin diseases, scrofula and eye ailments, a patronage consistent with the legend of Balbina. The pilgrimage is still held during Ascension week. The village, nestled in the Vosges forest, offers one of the finest ensembles in southern Lorraine.

La Fontaine Miraculeuse Saint-Quirin (Fontaines de France) ↗

Getting there : Below the priory church, beside the Saint-Quirin stream, in the village listed among the Plus Beaux Villages de France (Most Beautiful Villages of France), at the meeting point of Moselle, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Vosges and Bas-Rhin. Coordinates at the village; the fountain is signposted and freely accessible at all times, a few dozen metres from the church.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound