Richardis, wife of Charles III (aka "Charles the Fat") and so "Holy Roman Empress", founded the abbey in Andlau ca 880. Later she lived here (as the abbess). She was known for her piety and so she was canonised, when Pope Leo IX paid a visit to the abbey in 1049.

This is (beside the crypt) the remaining part of the old, romanesque abbey church ("St. Savieur"). This "reddish" block was once probably part of a westwork (see Maurmuenster). There are a couple of marvelous carved lions on the edges, but the most interesting is that (nearly 30m long) frieze, that runs all around, as this freeze tells some amazing stories.