Church of St Nicholas, Stročín: A Gothic Roman Catholic Church
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Slovakia
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Habsburg, Hungarian
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Church
On this page5 sections
History
The Church of St Nicholas, Stročín, is a Roman Catholic church in Slovakia, dedicated to Nicholas of Myra, a fourth-century Christian bishop venerated as a saint. The church probably originated in the 14th century, with construction estimated at around 1300. It is regarded as one of the most significant Gothic churches in northern Slovakia.
Medieval origins and records
The first written mention, from 1443, describes a wooden church without a tower. Between 1443 and 1496, it was associated with the Vranov–Stropkov district of the Diocese of Eger, a Roman Catholic diocese centred in present-day Hungary.
Stone rebuilding and decline
By 1691, the church had been rebuilt in stone in the Gothic style and served as a subsidiary church of the Mestisko parish. In 1775 it was described as being in very poor condition and unfit for worship. A local legend says that a maiden from a distant region brought a treasure that enabled repairs.
War damage and later history
Russian and Austro-Hungarian forces damaged the church during the First World War. Extensive reconstruction followed in 1922, and another renovation took place in 2007. The church is designated a National Cultural Monument of the Slovak Republic. Its current Catholic affiliations are the Eastern ecclesiastical province, the Košice Archdiocese, the Stropkov deanery, and the Duplín parish.
Remains
Standing in the centre of Stročín, the church is a stone Gothic building with one nave, the main lengthwise space of a church, and one tower. Structural elements from different phases of its development survive.
