Church of St. Elizabeth: A Fourteenth-Century Church in Banská Bystrica
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Slovakia
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Modern
- Civilizations
- Austria-Hungary, Habsburg, Hungarian
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Church
On this page6 sections
History
Foundation and religious change
The Church of St. Elizabeth stands on Dolná Street in the historic part of Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. Construction dates to 1303, and the church shared its early history with a municipal hospital that belonged to it. The church and former hospital are counted among the city’s oldest buildings. In 1517, during the Reformation, a sixteenth-century movement that led some churches to adopt Protestant traditions, the church became Protestant, along with the city’s other churches.
Fire and rebuilding
A fire destroyed the church in 1605. It was rebuilt several times afterward, including a reconstruction in the Neo-Gothic style in 1877. Neo-Gothic is a nineteenth-century revival of medieval Gothic architecture.
Modern Catholic identity
The church is now Roman Catholic and belongs to the Diocese of Banská Bystrica, a territorial church jurisdiction within the Western Province, a grouping of dioceses. Its listed deanery and parish are Banská Bystrica Cathedral. On 26 June 1963, it was designated a Slovak National Cultural Monument.
Remains
The church stands on Dolná Street, and its physical form reflects repeated rebuilding, including the Neo-Gothic reconstruction of 1877. The associated former municipal hospital was located at Dolná Street 47.
Church fabric and altar
The Chapel of St. Anne, named for the Christian figure traditionally regarded as Mary’s mother, and the church’s north nave wall were the parts spared in the 1605 fire. The church’s altar was made by Jozef Murgaš, a Slovak priest and artist.
