It is often said to be the birthplace of the 8th-century saint and abbot, Fulrad , who built a monastery there. Saint-Hippolyte is situated very close to the highly strategic castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg , and for many centuries the conflict centred on possession of the castle had a great influence, mostly destructive, on the history of the town. The town is dominated by the castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg and surrounded by the fertile vineyards which made its reputation.
The old village consists of three parallel streets cut by side streets and alleys between half-timbered houses, forming a compact oblong area still contained within a wall. The village centre contains the church, town hall and a 19th-century school building. Coal mines are operating in the village. The present Saint-Hippolyte stands on the site of a Neolithic settlement still in use in the Roman period.
Under the Carolingians the estate here was known as Andaldovillare or Audaldovillare , derived from the Frankish name "Audaldo". Saint Fulrad , a relative of the Pippinids , later 14th abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Denis , a powerful politician and diplomat, possessed immense properties in this area. It is generally assumed that this was his birthplace, although there is no direct proof. Construction began in In Fulrad also obtained from the pope the relics of Saint Hippolytus , a 3rd-century bishop and martyr, [ 6 ] to whom the new monastery was dedicated, and from whom the village later took its name: [ 7 ] it is first mentioned as Sankt Pilt in The monks of St.
Denis were obliged to defend their title to the two priories in , when an attempt was made to have them granted as a fief to a royal kinsman. The monks were successful in blocking the move, however, and at length obtained confirmation of their title in the form of a diploma of Lothair I executed at Verdun on 4 August In the 11th century the village became an enclave of Lorraine in Alsace when, despite Fulrad's gift of the village to St.
Gerhard of Alsace , duke of Lower Lorraine from to , a descendant of the family of the Etichonen who had ruled Alsace from the 7th century, possessed considerable political influence including the support of Bruno, bishop of Toul , the later Pope Leo IX.
