Hidden within Daxlanden’s ancient heart stands St. Valentin. This isn’t just any church. It’s the oldest church in the Karlsruhe deanery. More than that it’s the oldest surviving church in Daxlanden.
Believe it or not this is actually the fourth church to grace this spot. The first three were lost to the ravages of time. A catastrophic Rhine flood in 1651 destroyed the second. Daxlanden itself was almost entirely wiped out. The villagers rebuilt their lives further north. Their church was gone though. They held services in a dilapidated farmhouse.
For decades a new church remained a distant dream. Wars the Palatinate War and the War of the Spanish Succession stalled progress. Disagreements over costs further delayed construction. Finally in 1706 plans were drawn up. The foundation stone for St. Valentin was laid years later. In 1710 a design emerged. It required 168480 bricks. The Daxlanders even used stones from the ruined Rohrburg Castle in Durmersheim for the foundation.
Johann Michael Ludwig Rohrer designed St. Valentin. He was a significant Baden-Baden architect also responsible for additions to Rastatt Palace and Schloss Favorite. His other projects include Rastatt’s Schlosskirche and Ettlingen’s St. Martin’s Church.
St Valentin was consecrated on June 16 1715. This was a day before the Karlsruhe Palace’s tower cornerstone was laid. Despite the consecration the church was far from finished. The roof leaked. The interior was incomplete. Years of bureaucratic wrangling ensued over costs.
Then fate intervened. The “Hunter Louis” Markgraf Ludwig Georg visited Daxlanden after a hunting trip. Daxlanden’s officials took the opportunity to plead their case. The Markgraf acted swiftly. The missing interior work was finally completed in 1727. The cost 118 gulden was covered by the Ettlingen office.
St. Valentin was finally finished a masterpiece of Baroque architecture. Its history is a testament to the Daxlanders’ perseverance and the architectural genius of Rohrer. It’s a place to reflect on history faith and the enduring human spirit.