château Preisch

Classified a historic monument, Sainte Madeleine Chapel was built in 1773 by Francois de Lasalle in the Romanesque style, simple, austere and solid, with a bare interior. A square belfry topped by a slender wooden spire shelters the original bell which, dating back to 1564, had already been part of the former castle chapel. The bell was baptized Magdeleine and can still be heard tolling today. When the chapel was in dire need of renovation, Charles de Gargan decided in 1862 to transform the modest building and to rebuild parts of it in the yellow Jaumont stone which is typical of the Lorraine region. He had a crypt built under the chapel where the members of his family would be buried. He also had a bell tower built, crowned by a 13 metre spire. A sacristy was installed behind the altar. Laurent-Charles Marchal, a renowned glassmaker from Metz, conceived new stained glass windows and a beautiful marble floor mosaic. A white altar was created by artist Charles Jacquemin. All of these architectural and decorative changes were heavily influenced by the 16th century Renaissance style. On both sides of the altar are the funeral monuments of the Schawenbourgs (former feudal lords of Preisch), originally housed in the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist which, dating back to the 16th century, had been part of the original fortress. In 1514, the reeve of Luxembourg, Vogt Jean de Schawenbourg, had a cross erected next to the chapel. The Croix de Prise de Possession symbolises the handing over of the estate to the feudal lords of Preisch, which is said to have taken place in this exact spot. Carved onto the cross are the heraldic arms of the House of Schawenbourg