The history of Luxeuil-les-Bains and the Irish monk Saint Columban are intimately linked. There is still a great deal of evidence of the monk's time in the southern Vosges, and his influence on the town's past is undeniable. The founder of several monasteries and Luxeuil-les-Bains Abbey, he was also at the head of one of the most important scriptoriums in Europe.
Follow in the footsteps of Saint Columban and visit the Columban sites along the route the monk might have taken: the Via Columbani !
OT Luxeuil-les-Bains, Vosges du Sud
Saint Columban, from Ireland to the Southern Vosges
What an Irish monk is doing at the foot of the Vosges mountains ? Saint Columban's journey through 6th-century Europe is indeed surprising. Born in Ireland around 540, Columban crossed the sea to preach the word of Christ and found abbeys.
The three monasteries he built at Annegray, Luxeuil and Fontaine attracted vocations and were increasingly successful. In his path, his successors, like Saint Valbert, turned Luxeuil into a rich and powerful abbey, with undisputed intellectual and spiritual influence.
The Colomban sites: meet Saint Colomban and Saint Valbert
Near Luxeuil-les-Bains, three sites preserve the memory of Columban and Valbert, his illustrious successor.
The remains of Annegray
Les Amis de Saint Colomban
Archaeological excavations at Annegray have revealed the remains of an 11th-century church and Merovingian sarcophagi, on the site of the first monastic foundation of Columban in Gaul.
Chapel and grotto of Saint Colomban in Sainte-Marie-en-Chanois
Saint Colomban's grotto in Sainte-Marie-en-Chanois was the site of the abbot's spiritual retreats. Today, it offers a breathtaking view over the Breuchin valley, in the shadow of a chapel built in the 19th century to mark the entrance.
Near the animal park, the hermitage of Saint Valbert is a former priory built on the site where the saint is said to have lived as a hermit before becoming the third abbot of Luxeuil.
The 365 sections of this Via Columbani, crossing no less than nine European countries, have been digitalized by enthusiastic pilgrims and can be accessed via a dedicated website and applications available on Google play and the app store.
You don't need to be an experienced hiker! You'll also find a host of accessible walks highlighting the history and heritage of the towns and villages you pass through.
Between Luxeuil-les-Bains and Annegray, via the hermitage of Saint Valbert and the chapel of Saint Colomban, the monks' path crosses the Southern Vosges to discover the Colomban sites and the magnificent landscapes of the Breuchin valley.
25km walk (one way), medium difficulty. Elevation gain 650m, estimated time 8 hrs.
