Saint Margaret's Chapel in Epfig is an 11th-century Romanesque church, part of the Route Romane d'Alsace.The chapel is of special historic and architectural interest. The church tower dates from the 11th century. The unique porch gallery was added in the 12th century. A square chapel was added in 1516.
The interior contains some fine wall paintings. In the porch is a 19th-century ossuary, containing the bones and 277 skulls of local people who died in the 1525 peasant's war. The medieval-style gardens in front of the chapel, which include a cross-shaped herbal garden and fountain, were added in 2002. The Church was classed a historic monument in 1876, following substantial restoration work in 1875. The statue of Saint Margaret which used to stand in the chapel was stolen in 1973.
References:The stone church of Gamla Uppsala, built over the pagan temple, dates from the early 12th century. Due to fire and renovations, the present church is only a remnant of the original cathedral.
Before the arrival of Christianity in Sweden, Gamla Uppsala was the seat of Swedish kings and a ceremonial site known all over northern Europe. The settlement was home to royal palaces, a royal burial ground, and a great pagan temple. The Uppsala temple, which was described in detail by Adam of Bremen in the 1070s, housed wooden statues of the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Freyr. A golden chain hung across its gables and the inside was richly decorated with gold. The temple had priests, who sacrificed to the gods according to the needs of the people.
The first Christian cathedral was probably built in the 11th century, but finished in the 12th century. The stone building may have been preceded by a wooden church and probably by the large pagan temple.