Catholic Saint Francis Church in Hervartov is arguably oldest wooden church in Slovakia, preserved to present times.
It is one of 8 churches that were inscribed on the
World Heritage List UNESCO in 2008 - named
The Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of Carpathian Mountain Area.
Most of them are located in quite isolated villages, using wood as the main material and traditional construction techniques.
The property presents good examples of a rich local tradition of religious architecture, marked by the
meeting of Latin and Byzantine cultures.
Interiors are
decorated with paintings on the walls and ceilings and other works of art that enrich the cultural significance of the properties.
Hervartov, Saint Francis Church
The earliest historical proof of existence of the Hervartov village is from the year 1340.
The exact date when the wooden church was built is not known.
According to the saved
remains of the original Gothic altar, which was probably in place in
the second half of the 15th century.
The altars of St. Catherine, Virgin Mary and St. Barbara are from the years 1460-1480.
This assumption is supported by the fact that the architecture and overall conception of the interior of Hervartov's wooden church,
such as its
stencilled geometric painting in the presbytery, may be associated to some extent with several churches on the Polish side of the Carpathian Mountains.
According to the latest detailed research of architectural signs, it was identified that church begun to serve in last years of 15th century, or at very beginning of 16th century.
This dating makes Saint Francis Church in Hervarton the oldest wooden church in Slovakia.
Church is completely wooden, made of
larch wood, without use of single nail.
There are services still served occasionally and it is open for public, usually on direct demand - there is contact information about key holder (who lives in the neighbourhood) on the door to the church.
This regime of opening hours works usually well and it is reliable.
However, if anyone need more specific information, please see following
website.
Hervartov, Kostol svateho Frantiska z Assisi
Existenciu dreveneho rimskokatolickeho (v minulosti aj evanjelickeho) kostola je mozne datovat
do konca 15. storocia.
Je najstarsim a najzachovanejsim drevenym kostolikom na Slovensku.
Od roku 1968 je kostolik a jeho mur narodnou kulturnou pamiatkou.
V roku 2008 bol zapisany spolu s dalsimi siedmimi drevenymi kostolmi do
zoznamu Svetoveho dedicstva UNESCO.
Cerkva bola postavena
v gotickom style a sklada sa z presbyteia, lode, sakristie a z podvezia.
Jeho interier zdobia goticke tabulove obrazy a nastenne malby z roku 1655 a 1805.
Exterier kostola zostal skoro nezmeneny, ale interier presiel viacerymi upravami, ktore mala za pricinu reformacia, rekatolizacia a barokovy sloh.
V 70. rokoch 20. storocia boli po restaurovani obnovene povodne malby.
Kostolu dominuje
oltar sv. Katariny, Panny Marie a sv. Barbory, ktory bol zrekonstruovany v druhej polovici devatdesiatych rokov.
Medzi dalsie pamiatky patri neskorogoticky obraz sv. Frantiska z Assisi, sv. Kristofa a sv. Katariny Sienskej.
Ostatne pamiatky ako originalne kridla oltara, dreveny skrinkovy svatostanok zo zaciatku 16. storocia a prenosny oltarik z roku 1514
su ulozene v Narodnom muzeu v Budapesti. Bocny oltar z roku 1524 sa nachadza v bardejovskej radnici.