Epinal - Saint-Maurice

Epinal was founded end of the 10th century by Dietrich I, Bishop of Metz (cousin of Emperor Otto I). A church will have existed here, that mid of the 11th century got replaced by a Romanesque structure, consecrated by Pope Leo IX, who was born in the near Alsace. This church probably had the same dimensions as the building today as some walls of the nave can be traced back to that church.

A convent once adjoint the church to the south. The nuns could enter the church through a particular portal from the cloister.

The parishioners entered the church through this portal, called "Portail des Bourgeois". It was decorated with statues once and had a carved tympanum. All was lost in 1793, when stirred up revolutionists raided the church. Iconoclastic waves rolled all over France just after the Revolution.

In the center, between the doors, is a statue of the "Madonna and Child" from the 13th century. There are still traces of colours.