Cathedrals and churches in Slovakia
represent all the periods of European
ecclesiastical architecture: Romanesque,
Gothic, Baroque,
even Art Nouveau.
Most unusual are the wooden
churches – the majority
of which were built in accordance
with laws that discriminated against
non-Catholics. No other European
country has as high a density and
great a diversity of wooden churches
as Slovakia.
Overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, but
with significant Protestant, Greek
Catholic and Jewish populations, Slovakia
was often the scene of struggles between
religions. The centuries-long battle
between Catholic and Protestant left
many scars – often visible in
the secular structures we see today.
Slovakia has the highest
density of wooden churches anywhere
in Europe. In 1681, the Roman
Catholic Austro-Hungarian Emperor
dictated that only Roman Catholic
churches could use hard materials
(stone, metal). Protestant
and Ruthenian/Rusyn Greek Catholic
churches could only be made of wood
and were not allowed to use nails
in their construction. They
had to be erected within one year,
start to finish, and were not permitted
in the center of town.
Builders used ingenious carpentry
techniques for joining together pieces
of wood to create these lovely churches.
Weathered, dark wooden shingles
seem to ripple and flow, like snakeskin,
over these organic-looking structures.
Most of the surviving wooden churches
are Ruthenian/Rusyn Greek Catholic
from the 18th and 19th centuries.
With characteristic onion
domes and gleaming icons
(on an iconostasis separating aisle
from alter), these churches are visible
reminders of the tenacity of Slovakia’s
Ruthenian minority, concentrated in
the northeast corner of the country.
Dating from the 16th c., the Greek
Catholic religion combines the mysticism
of Greek Orthodox rites, a liturgy
written in Slavonic (Cyrillic alphabet)
together with recognition of the Pope’s
authority. Some of the finest
Ruthenian churches:
- Ladomirova (northeast
of Svidnik)
- Jedlinka (north of Bardejov)
- Mirol’a (east of
Svidnik)
Two Ruthenian churches are in the
open-air museum at Bardejovske Kupele
(spa town of Bardejov).
Five Protestant wooden churches
remain in Slovakia. The largest
and most impressive one is
in the village of Svaty Kriz,
near Liptovsky Mikulas. Originally
built in 1693 and enlarged in 1774,
this magnificent church seats over
2,000 and is remarkably well preserved.
In Hronsek, outside of Banska Bystrica,
stands another enchanting wooden church.
Originally Catholic, then Protestant
and finally Catholic once more, this
church seats more than 1,000 people
in amphitheater style. It was built
in 1725.
The oldest wooden churches in Slovakia
are Roman Catholic: Tvrdosin from
the 15th c., Trnove from 1500 (in
Zilina district) and the church originally
in Zabrezie (1647) which is now in
the open-air museum of Orava Village
in Zuberec. Oldest of all is in Hervartov,
near Bardejov, built in the 1490s.
Note the wonderful 17th c. murals.
(Hervatov is featured
in Do-It-Yourself Itinerary 1)
More information: www.museum.sk/dostol/defaulte.php?co=e_dostol
For a map of wooden churches
please visit: www.museum.sk/dostol/defaulte.php?obj=&ix=e_mapa
(Kosice)
 Europe’s
easternmost Roman Catholic Gothic
cathedral is also Slovakia’s
loveliest. It has patterned
roof tiles similar to Vienna’s
St. Stephen’s Cathedral, a breathtaking
gilded main altar with 48 panels (one
of the largest Gothic winged altars
in Central Europe), and intricate
carvings, particularly over the north
and west doors. Begun in 1378 and
originally modeled on St. Viktor’s
church in Xanten-on-Rhein , the cathedral
took 100 years to build. Rebuilt several
times, this beautiful structure is
rather confused in terms of architectural
style. Take a tour of the crypt
of Ferenc Rakoczi, a Transylvanian
Protestant who led an uprising from
Kosice against the Catholic Hapsburg
empire in the 18th c. And then climb
up the clocktower to get a great view
over Kosice’s restored old town.
More information
http://www.sacr.sk/article?id=104&category=18&lang=en
(Bratislava)
On top of its steeple sits not a
cross, but rather a gold pillow
with a copy of the Hungarian crown
to indicate that coronation
ceremonies for Hungarian kings and
queens were held here. After
the Turks occupied Buda in 1526, Bratislava
became the capital of Hungary. Built
in the 14th-15th centuries in Gothic
style on the site of an earlier Romanesque
church, St. Martin’s most interesting
features are 18th c. Baroque additions,
including the equestrian statue of
St. Martin and the chapel of St. John
Mendicant (sv. Jan Almuznik).
More information
www.bratislavaguide.com/st-martins-cathedral-bratislava
(Bratislava)
The full name is the Church of the
Order of the Holy Trinity and was
intended to copy St. Peter’s
Cathedral in Vienna. Near Bratislava’s
Old Town square, the church is considered
the most beautiful baroque building
in the city. It is famous for its
magnificent trompe l’oeil
frescoes, which create the
illusion of three dimensions on a
flat surface.
More information:
Click
here
(Bratislava)
This small, appealing church is an
Art Nouveau masterpiece,
designed by a Budapest architect in
the early 20th century. Mosaic, plaster
and glazed majolica are all blue.
More information: www.eurotravelling.net/slovakia/bratislava_culture.htm
(Levoca)
 One
of the largest Gothic churches in
Slovakia, St. James' is most famous
for the 55 ft. tall wooden
altarpiece carved by the most original
artist of the 15th century, Master
Pavol of Levoca. It is the
tallest wooden Gothic winged
altar in the world. The realism
and animation of the figures –
particularly in the Last Supper scene
– are remarkable for the period.
Pavol and his assistant are even depicted,
behind St. James/Jacob. The church
is now a museum of ecclesiastical
art. Enamelled and precious-stone-encrusted
creations of 18th c. Goldsmith Jan
Szilassy are national art treasures.
More information:
http://www.chramsvjakuba.sk/en.html
(Spisska Kapitula)
 Just
west of Spis Castle is the walled,
one-street village of Spisska Kapitula,
sharing UNESCO
World Heritage Site
designation with Spis Castle. Built
just after the Tartar invasions of
the 13th century, the town's late
Romanesque church with two towers
was the seat of the Bishop of Spis
in the 18th century. Many photos of
Spis castle show St. Martin’s
in the foreground. Frescoes
from the 14th century were
whitewashed by Protestants after the
Reformation but have now been restored.
The altarpiece of the Gothic-style
Zapolsky Chapel is also noteworthy.
More information: www.slovakheritage.org/Unesco/spiskap.htm
(Spisska Sobota)
The main attraction of this late
Romanesque church (originally from
1273) with Gothic elements is the
main altar carved in 1516
by Master Pavol of Levoca,
renowned for his altarpiece in Levoca.
However, the vaulting, fonts and several
chapels are also unusually sophisticated.
More information:
http://www.chramsvjakuba.sk/en.html
(Bardejov)
The sheer size of this austere Gothic
church in the perfectly preserved
Old Town of Bardejov (UNESCO
World Heritage site)
reflects the wealth and power of the
city in medieval times. Eleven
wooden side altars date from the 15th
century. The original main
altar was carved by the famed Master
Pavol of Levoca, but a fire destroyed
all but two sculptures and one painting
from that masterpiece. Check out the
grinning half-dog, half-monkey
figures carved at the ends of the
pews.
More information: www.e-bardejov.sk/angl/egydius.html
 (Zehra,
near Spis castle)
The outsized dark onion dome and
interior walls completely
covered with frescoes painted around
1400 make this small 13th
century church a picturesque Gothic
gem. Go there on the way to
Spis Castle, the largest castle in
Central Europe. This church
shares Spis Castle’s UNESCO
World Heritage site
designation.
More information: www.slovenskyraj.sk/vylety/zehra/en.html
(Nitra)
Three small churches on Castle Hill
in Nitra, often called the "mother
of Slovak towns", constitute
the Cathedral. The 12th century Romanesque
rotunda, a horseshoe-shaped apse,
may be part of a 9th century
church, thought to have been the very
first in the territory that is now
Slovakia and possibly in the whole
of Central Europe. One antechamber
is late Gothic, and upstairs is the
main church, a lavish Baroque creation
filled with marble, frescos and modern
stained glass.
More information:
www.spectacularslovakia.sk/ss2001/nitra_ascii.html
(on a hill overlooking Levoca)
Up to 250,000 people flock
to this neo-Gothic church here for
the Marianske Pilgrimage the first
weekend of July. In the 13th
century, a small fort on the hill
protected the townspeople from Tatar
raids. To give thanks for being spared,
they built a chapel (later a church)
with a statue of the Virgin Mary.
This statue is now the main symbol
of the Marianske Pilgrimage, which
during the Soviet era became
a powerful form of protest. Pope John
Paul II participated in the pilgrimage
several times before (and
once since) becoming pope. The full
name is Church of the Annunciation
of the Blessed Virgin.
More information:
www.slovakheritage.org/Churchescatholic/marianmount.htm |
