EN EN

Church of the Holy Spirit

0 ratings
In the immediate vicinity of Spiš Castle and Dreveník is one of the greatest gems of Spiš - the Church of St. Ducha. Due to its historical and artistic contribution, it was inscribed on the list of national cultural monuments in 1985 and on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993 as part of the Levoča, Spiš Castle and surrounding monuments.

Church of the Holy Spirit

In the immediate vicinity of Spiš Castle and Dreveník is one of the greatest gems of Spiš - the Church of St. Ducha. Due to its historical and artistic contribution, it was inscribed on the list of national cultural monuments in 1985 and on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993 as part of the Levoča, Spiš Castle and surrounding monuments.

Roman Catholic parish Church of the Holy Spirit in Žehra

Žehra is one of the oldest villages under Spiš Castle. The first written mention of Žehra is from 1245. At that time, the "Venerable Chapter of Spišská" allowed Count Ján of Žehra to build a church in Žehra. There are 93 steps leading to the church made of special Spiš limestone - travertine. Its interior hides rare Gothic frescoes of world importance. According to historical sources, the church was completed in 1275. The original transitional late Romanesque early Gothic style was modified several times over the centuries to its present form.

On March 15, 1985, this church was declared a National Cultural Monument.

On December 11, 1993, this church was registered as part of "Spišský hrad and surroundings"

to the UNESCO World Heritage List, especially for the rare Gothic frescoes.

Source: Farnosť Žehra (26.11.2023)

the interior of the church

In addition to the perimeter walls of the church, the original one-nave church has been preserved to this day, with a late Romanesque cross vault in the sanctuary and a functional pastophorium (hospitality), which was declared a national cultural monument in 2010. Even the bars on it are original. One Romanesque window behind the main altar and a late Romanesque baptistery made of travertine from the end of the 13th century have also been preserved.

The nave of the church originally had a late Romanesque wooden coffered ceiling. In 1380, they covered the nave of the church with a mesh Gothic vault with an octagonal column in the middle, thus turning the church into a two-nave. This architectural peculiarity is typical of several churches in the Spiš region and can be considered unique in the world. The vault resembles a tree - a palm tree, which is a symbol of the "Tree of Life in Paradise". It has the symbol of baptism, which is the beginning of a new life in the Spirit of Christ. It is also the coat of arms of the Žehriansky family, whose main mission was to strengthen Christianity.

Today's onion-shaped end of the tower, as well as most of the internal equipment in the church, are Baroque from the second half of the 17th century. Gothic elements can still be observed in the middle of the altars. Altar of St. Nicholas on the south side of the nave of the church dates from 1677. The figure of Saint Nicholas and the typical panel painting of four bishops around him are Gothic. On the altar of the Virgin Mary, the oldest sculptures - early Gothic from the 14th century - are stored in a Gothic cabinet from 1510. In the middle is the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus, on her right are St. Margita and St. Catherine, on the other side is St. Barbara and below is St. Dorothy. Above them is a baroque statue of St. Rosalie - she is the patron saint against the plague. He reminds that this altar is a gift of thanks from the parishioners of Žehria for their help during the plague (pestis) epidemic that raged in our area in 1644-1645. Next to it are statues of St. John the Baptist and John the Apostle, and above is St. Sebastian, who is also the patron saint against plague.

The relief of the Sending of the Holy Spirit on the main altar reveals that the patron of the church and the entire village is the Holy Spirit. The main altar is from 1656. The author of the altars is Pavol Gross the Elder from Spišská Sobota.

The altars are made of linden wood, decorated with gold leaf. The pulpit and baptismal font near the altar of the Virgin Mary are also Baroque from the second half of the 17th century. This baptistery is still used today. The pews are from 1969. The Way of the Cross on the walls of the nave of the church is by Ladislav Záborský from Martin from 1979. The organ is from 1989.

Frescoes

They were painted into partially dried plaster using the al fresco technique. According to the time of creation, we divide them into five stages.

1st stage: The oldest frescoes in this church are consecration crosses from 1275. There are eight of them in the nave of the church and four uncovered ones are in the sanctuary. In the places where the crosses are, the church was consecrated by anointing with holy chrism on the feast of the Holy Trinity.

2nd stage:

In the tympanum of the southern portal, the original entrance to the church, there is a fresco of Golgotha ​​from the 14th century, and the addition to the portal is from 1652. This fresco shows the crucified Christ. On his right stands the Virgin Mary, on the other side St. John the Apostle, and in the background are the walls of Jerusalem - a symbol of Eternal Jerusalem.

3rd stage: It consists of frescoes in the sanctuary on the vault, on the walls and on the lower part of the triumphal arch. They are frescoes from 1370. They show Byzantine-Italian iconographic influence. On the eastern side of the vault is a fresco of Christos Pantokrator (the Sovereign). As the Judge of the living and the dead, he holds the Book of Life open in his left hand. On the north side of the vault is the fresco "Triglav" - an ancient representation of the Mystery of the Holy Trinity. On the west side, the Mother of God is depicted with the baby Jesus on her chest, constantly glorifying God and interceding for us with Him. Abraham's bosom with the twelve tribes of Israel is depicted on the south side. The passion cycle is also very interesting - events from the Last Supper to the taking down of Jesus from the cross. The Passion cycle continues behind the main altar with the fresco Jesus before Pilate, the Man of Sorrows and the Scourging. Above that is the fresco of the Annunciation. At the Last Supper, the holy apostle Paul is also depicted, which symbolizes that the holy apostle Paul is equal to the other apostles. Around the southern window in the sanctuary, the patrons of doctors and pharmacists, St. Cosmas and St. Damian, are depicted with patients. They are supposed to protect the people from the plague with their powerful intercession. Below the window is an indulgence inscription. On the north wall is a fresco of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary. Figures of angels on both sides of the scene play "fiddles" - medieval musical instruments.

Source: Farnosť Žehra (26.11.2023)

4th stage: It consists of two frescoes in frames from the second half of the 14th century on the north wall of the nave of the church. On the left is Pieta (The Seven-Blessed Virgin Mary) – the Patron Saint of Slovakia. On the right, on an area of ​​4 m2, there is a fresco of the Tree of Life (Arbor vitae). This fresco is the most famous and is a typical example of the "Bibliae pauperum" (Scriptures of the Saint of the Poor). The fresco is full of symbols and symbolism.

Tree of Life

The central figure is the crucified Christ, who divides human history into two parts: the history of the Old Testament and the history of the New Testament. At the beginning of human history, God created the first people: Adam and Eve. From the size of their figures, we can judge how great they were in the eyes of God before and after committing the original sin, because on the one hand the temptation in paradise is shown and on the other the expulsion from paradise, because they did not pass the test and did not want to confess their guilt with regret. An angel guards the gate of paradise so that they do not reach the Tree of Life, so that evil does not work forever. But the Lord God did not stop loving people. He promised them a Redeemer who would free them from the slavery of evil, the slavery of sin, and whom he sent in the fullness of time in the person of his Son Jesus Christ. People had to be prepared for His coming. That was the mission of the Old Testament.

The people of the Old Testament are represented by the Synagogue - a female figure sitting on a donkey. It bears the symbols of the end of the mission of the Old Testament, because the Messiah has come, the time of waiting for the Messiah is over.

The people of the New Testament are represented by the royal figure Ecclesia - the Church. He sits on the Tetramorph, which symbolizes the four evangelists. Both figures hold a battle flag in their hands - a symbol of the spiritual struggle between good and evil. The pole at the Synagogue is broken. The ekklesia has a whole, it indicates fighting ability. It is decorated with a cross - a symbol of Jesus' victory over the evil of death and sin. Together with Him, we too can triumph over evil. He gives us spiritual strength for this in the Eucharist. Ecclesia holds in her hand a chalice with a host - a symbol of the New Testament sacrifice for sins, that is, a symbol of St. mass and the Sacrament of the Altar. The symbol of the Old Testament sacrifice for sins is the cap's head held by the Synagogue. There is an unusual inscription on the cross: ADAM. According to St. apostle Paul, what the first Adam messed up in Paradise with his disobedience, the new Adam - Jesus Christ - atoned for on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day. The blessing hand of God next to that inscription blesses the Church and gives grace and true peace of heart to the humble, which the world cannot give because it does not have it, and which is the source of true human happiness. The Lord Jesus turns his face away from the Synagogue and leans towards the Church, indicating that he is sending his Spirit to her from the Father, as shown in the relief on the main altar. Everything is deeply interconnected.

5th stage: It includes three rows of frescoes on the north wall of the nave of the church, separated by ornaments. They are from the second half of the 15th century. The fresco on the front of the Triumphal Arch, depicting the Scene of the Last Judgment, also belongs to this period. In the middle of the mandorla is Christ, the Judge of the living and the dead. The shape of the mandorla represents God's plan of salvation: how God lowered himself to man to save him, fill him with love and raise him to heaven. On his right is the Virgin Mary, on the other side is Saint John the Baptist as intercessors for the people of the Old and New Testaments. Others in the council are apostles. The middle band indicates how the dead of all time rise to the Last Judgment at the sound of angels' trumpets. Below is the result of the Last Judgment. To Jesus' right below, St. Michael the Archangel, the one with the crossed stole, leads the elect into heaven. They all wear white robes, a symbol of purity of heart. On the other side, the symbol of eternal death is depicted - the Apocalyptic dragon, devouring souls, i.e. hell. Those who go there have no clothes. They are accompanied by shame and despair. The lower part of the triumphal arch is decorated with medallions of Old Testament prophets and figures of Hungarian kings St. Stephen and St. Ladislav.

After overcoming the plague in 1644-1645, the church was whitewashed with lime for almost 300 years due to disinfection. They were discovered by the local parish priest Duchoň in 1870. They were uncovered gradually from the end of the 19th century until 1959. Expert team of restorers: Ing. Michal Štaudt, Andrej Kuc and Dr. Mária Mariániová uncovered the frescoes in their present form. The frescoes of the Tree of Life, the Pieta and the consecration crosses on the north wall were uncovered at the expense of the latest frescoes, after they had been properly documented. In the top left, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary is interestingly depicted, on the right, her coronation. In the middle is the Legend of Saint Ladislav. The Hungarian king Saint Ladislav frees a Christian girl - Ladiva from the hands of the pagan Cumans. It was an aggressive nomadic tribe living in Hungary. At the bottom left is the Annunciation, followed by the Nativity fresco, but it had to be removed to reveal the Pietà, which was a hundred years older. The row continues with the Sacrifice of the Lord fresco and ends with the Adoration of the Three Kings fresco in Bethlehem.

Source: Farnosť Žehra (26.11.2023)

Additional information

Transport: By foot, By bike, By car, By bus


Suitable for: Childrens, Families with childrens, Elderly, Handicapped, Cyclists, Young, Adults
Season: Summer
Updated on: 26.11.2023
Source: Žehra

Opening hours

Weather

Not specified


Contact

Church of the Holy Spirit
Žehra
Region: Košický
District: Spišská Nová Ves
Area: Spiš
 48.9793242, 20.7922211

Altitude: 420 m

Žehra

Show contact

tips on experience around Events