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
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 the Catholics and Protestants 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 f