Daaden's baroque church towers over the picturesque townscape. It was built between 1722 and 1724 and is one of the best baroque creations in the Westerwald. With its 1200 seats, it is also one of the largest churches in the Rhineland.
The predecessor of the present church was built in the 12th century in Romanesque style. When it became dilapidated and too small at the beginning of the 18th century, the people of Daaden decided to build a new church. However, the tower was left standing, but it was lower than the roof of the nave after the new church was built. It was therefore raised in 1784 by the present-day belfry and given a Baroque onion dome with a lantern on top.
The weather vane is an angel, which replaced its predecessor from 1731 in 1931. As the saying goes, the people of Daaden could not agree at the time whether a cockerel or an angel should crown the church spire. In the end, the angel won and the people of Daaden got their nickname "Hahnengler". Even today, the angel reliably announces the weather.
There are three bells in the church tower, which ring out on different occasions. Of the old bells made of bronze, only the noon bell from 1785 has survived; the other two bells, lost in the last world war through confiscation, were replaced in 1953 by cast steel bells.
Five doors lead into the church interior. The tower entrance first leads into the restored barrel-vaulted tower hall. Here, the old masonry from the 12th century has been uncovered, providing an insight into the architecture of the Middle Ages. The two main portals are adorned with baroque wing doors with richly carved ornaments. Two further, rather plain doors lead both to the galleries and into the interior of the church.
The church itself has a cruciform floor plan; the galleries, some of which are two storeys high, contribute significantly to the height effect of the interior. The centrepiece of the interior is the eastern group of altar, pulpit and organ. While the simple altar table is adorned with a wooden cross and a Bible, the hexagonal pulpit chair, surrounded by two Corinthian columns each and decorated with gilded fruit pendants and five angel heads, is very splendidly furnished. Above the pulpit is the organ prospect, whose side finishes show tendrils with putti heads.
The present organ was built in 1908 by the organ builder Röver from near Quedlinburg/Harz. It is one of the few completely preserved romantic-pneumatic organs and thus represents a special feature in a wide area.
A special feature of the Daaden church is the large number of seats. The new church building in 1722 was designed for 1500 people; today the church seats 1200. In this respect, the church in Daaden is the largest place of worship in the Westerwald.
The pews with carvings facing the aisles are still completely original. Although the pews do not offer seating comfort according to today's standards, they do prevent people from sleeping in the church. In the past, certain classes had certain seats, called "chairs", such as the nobility, the officials or the parish families. The "common" estates were divided according to the individual villages belonging to the parish; this order, which is no longer valid today, is still known to many churchgoers, however, and is also still observed in part.
Until the end of the 18th century, some members of a noble family were buried in the crypt of the church and another 10 "persons of rank" were buried elsewhere in the church. By decree of the Margrave of Brandenburg-Onolzbach in 1788, burials in places of worship were prohibited.
In 1975, the church had to be closed by the building authorities because the ceiling in the nave had sunk by half a metre and the ceiling beam had rotted. In the following year, the entire roof and ceiling were removed and faithfully restored; in particular, the stucco elements on the ceiling were also reapplied.
You can discover many more interesting details on site! If you are interested in a guided tour of the church, please contact the office of the Protestant church community in Daaden.
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Daaden Baroque Church - a Jewel of the Westerwald
The Daaden Baroque Church from the 18th century is considered one of the most beautiful churches in the Westerwald. Come and see for yourself!
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Contact and directions
Kirchplatz 1
57567 Daaden
