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Hronsek

UNESCO – monument

Wooden articular church in Hronsek

Wooden articular church in Hronsek altogether with the wooden bell tower are treasured historical monuments . The history of the church goes back to the period of strong catholicism. Imrich Tőkőly, Earl of Kežmarok had big merit of its building in the times when together with wide support of folk people, Turks and French courtyard he revolted against Austrian emperor Leopold I. . and forced him to assemble Sopron council in 1681. That council confirmed the results of Vienna Peace Treaty from 1606 in the matters of religion and allowed evangelics/protestants to build 2 churches in the Zvolen county, e.g. in Hronsek and Ostrá Lúka.

Article 25 of the Vienna Treaty stated these conditions for building the church:
– It had to be built in one year
– It had to be made all of wood without iron nails
– I couldn´t have a tower
– It was prohibited to have an entrance straightly from the street.

The building as such started 23 October 1725 and it was completed in autumn 1726. The church has the Latin cross plan and it is 8m high, 26m long and 11m wide. It has 30 windows. The columns have the shape of Ionian style made of oak wood, other parts are mostly of pine. On the bottom part of galleries there are hung engraved ornaments of the lime tree leaves – symbols of Slavic affiliation . The church has altogether 1100 places to sit arranged in amphitheatric style. The church has got perfect acoustics which predetermines it for organizing the classical music concerts. The vault reminds by its shape the overturn boat. The church has five entrances built one opposite the other. The roof is made of shingles, there are oak crosses on its three sides and over one entrance there is the cock, the symbol of Christian allertness. Six changeable pictures from Samuel Mialovič belong to the church altar. Recent organ was built by craftsman Martin Podkonický from Banska Bystrica in 1764. The parvis of the church is decorated with four monumental lime trees, two of them being as old as the church. Altogether with the church the bell tower was erected in 1726.
In 7 July 2008 the wooden articular church in Hronsek was registered in World´s Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.

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