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Origin and history

The Church of St.Louis of Birkenwald, located in the Lower Rhine in the Grand East region, is a religious building whose oldest parts date back to the second half of the 16th century, while major changes took place in the late 18th century. The choir, difficult to date, preserves medieval elements like broken arch windows, but its vault looks posterior, perhaps from the eighteenth century. A building building adjacent to the north, probably dating from the 16th century, houses a sandstone staircase, characteristic of this period.

The nave, rebuilt in 1704 (dated engraved on the cross of the gable and the Eucharistic wardrobe), has a rectangular structure and a ceiling decorated with a gilded-grey-glawed throat. The windows in the middle of the hanger are surmounted by painted plaster angels, and the walls have painted decorations restored around 1990 by Jean-Paul Brucker. The choir, vaulted in cradle and edges, is decorated with a blue and golden starry vault. An oak campanile, resting on four poles, dominates the whole.

A sacristy, probably added in the 19th century, is surmounted by a sandstone edicle bearing a clock dial and the arms of the Duprès d'Ordal, lords of Birkenwald, and their alliance with Elisabeth de Musiel. The project of a porch tower at the end of the 19th century was never realized, but a porch was built in front of the facade in 1951. The church, classified as a historic monument in 1930, belongs to the commune and retains a variety of architectural elements, bearing witness to its many phases of construction.

The original building, which was cited in 1158 as possession of the Abbey of Andlau, was probably rebuilt in the late Middle Ages. Only the choir remains from that time, while the nave and interior arrangements reflect the 17th and 18th century work campaigns. The interior decorations, such as the angelos and star vaults, as well as the defensive elements (slides in screws, mural doors) illustrate the evolution of liturgical and aesthetic needs over the centuries.

The Saint-Louis church thus embodies nearly 900 years of local history, from its attachment to the Abbey of Andlau to its Baroque and classical transformations. Its hybrid architecture, combining sandstone, wood and gilded plaster, makes it a remarkable example of the Alsatian religious heritage, marked by late Gothic influences and rococo additions. The presence of seigneurial weapons also reminds us of the role of noble families, such as the Duprès d'Ordal, in its evolution.

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