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Origin and history

The Heidenkirche, or "church of the Gentiles", is an ancient parish church in ruins on the territory of Butten, in the European community of Alsace (Great East). Built mainly in the 14th and 15th centuries, it once served the medieval village of Birsbach, now extinct. The site, isolated on the edge of the communal forest near Katzenkopf, was once a frequented crossing, connected by forest roads to Diemeringen, Soucht and Bitche until the 18th century. The church, mentioned in 1361 as a parish, was enlarged by an oriental choir and then vaulted in the 15th century, before being gradually abandoned after 1570 with the advent of the Reformation in the county of Sarrewerden.

The decline of Birsbach began at the end of the 15th century, but the church remained used for the pilgrimage of Saint Mathias until about 1570. After its cultural abandonment, the site continued to be frequented sporadically, as evidenced by coins and ceramics from the 16th-17th centuries discovered on site. In 1911, archaeologist Paul Amiet conducted excavations and photographed the remains, but their exposure to weather and looting accelerated their degradation. An unfortunate reconstruction in 1955 by the parish priest of Lorentzen destroyed much of the remaining medieval remains, leaving only foundations and the western wall-pignon.

The archaeological excavations of 1999 and 2001, carried out by the Community of Municipalities of Alsace Bossue, revealed two successive states of the medieval choir: a first irregular (14th century) and a second vault (15th century), as well as a cemetery with three levels of burial, mostly composed of children and adolescents. The Gothic portal of the 14th century, decorated with trilobes, and the neat foundations (depth of 1.60 m in sandstone) testify to the initial quality of the construction. The wall, once interpreted as defensive, was actually used to stabilize the sloped terrain. Medieval remains, mainly the gable wall, were listed as historical monuments in 1996.

The history of Heidenkirche illustrates the religious and social transformations of medieval and modern Alsace. Its gradual abandonment reflects the upheavals of the Reformation, while subsequent reconstructions (1955) and archaeological excavations highlight contemporary issues of heritage preservation. Today, the site, although partially destroyed, offers a rare testimony of the disappeared villages of the Vosges du Nord and their religious architecture, marked by successive reuses and adaptations.

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