Einhardsbasilika

Einhard, an influential advisor to Charlemagne and Louis the Pious, received the Michelstadt March as a gift in 815. After already replacing an existing wooden church with a stone structure, he began constructing the basilica around 824. The building, which also included reused materials, was completed in its Carolingian form in 827. Einhard presumably planned the basilica as his own burial place and that of his wife Imma, as well as a pilgrimage site. The basilica of the Imperial Abbey of Kornelimünster may have served as a model, as their floor plans show great similarities. The three-aisled basilica, with its east-facing main apse and flanking side choirs, was originally equipped with an atrium and antechambers. The masonry of red sandstone and brick follows Roman building techniques. Inside, the basilica was plastered and whitewashed in yellowish-white, with a colorful console frieze in the clerestory. The cruciform corridor crypt beneath the church, whose arcosolia were intended as burial places for Einhard and Imma, also contains reused masonry, possibly from Roman ruins or a nearby predecessor building.

The Einhard Basilica is located in Steinbach, a district of Michelstadt, in the Odenwald region of Hesse, Germany. The structure is protected as an architectural monument and cultural heritage site in Hesse.

The basilica is managed by the Administration of State Palaces and Gardens of Hesse and is accessible for a fee. Today, it stands as a well-preserved testament to Carolingian architecture.

• Fürstenau Castle (Castle, approx. 216 m away)
• Michelstadt Castle (Castle, approx. 1206 m away)
• Steinernes Haus Castle (Erbach) (Castle, approx. 3296 m away)
• Erbach Castle (Castle, approx. 3398 m away)