A little history of Marmoutier abbey
And also
The tops
A disciple of saint Colomban, saint Léobard, founded a small priory at the end of the 6th century : king Childebert II gave him a huge estate, called la Marche d'Aquilée.
In 725, buildings were in ruins, so abbot Maur was allowed by Thierry IV to restore the priory.
Then monks came. The monastery was called Mauri monasterium, which means "Maur's monastery": the name would be transformed into Marmoutier centuries later.
But in 827, a fire destroyed the church and all the buildings.
The church was immediately rebuilt and in 833 they brought saint Céleste and saint Auteur's relics in it.
In the 16th century, the abbey was plundered. When Alsace was annexed by France in 1704, the abbey was restored and became prosperous until the French Revolution...
The façade is the oldest part of the church, from the 11th century.