Churches of Bratislava, Slovakia
This past spring I had the pleasure of going on a central European vacation with my wife, and amongst my fondest memories was the time we spent stopping in Bratislava on a trip bookended by several days Budapest and Vienna.
Bratislava is not to be overlooked. This small European capital city of Slovakia is unique not just for the stark juxtaposition of Medieval architecture and ultra-soviet era modernism that slashed through the city without regard, but for the warmth of its people. Be it taking a tour of the modern apartments and civic buildings in a Soviet era Skoda (car), or meandering through the old town and hiking to the castle, you can't help but fall for the allure.
But I digress, this blog is about Church Crawling and so I should share that major aspect of the trip. Sadly I did not get photos of the famed Blue Church (St. Elizabeth's) as it had very limited hours and we chose to prioritize the previously mentioned tour, and a day trip to Devin Castle. It is famous for its Art Nouveau style, and looks like it might be constructed out of fondant and mad of delicious confectionary.
St. Martin's Cathedral is without a doubt the most noteworthy of Bratislava's churches. It is literally built into the old city wall, and construction it began in 1311 and lasted until 1452. How crazy is that? Today it stands next to a Soviet Era central artery which sadly destroyed much of the former Jewish quarter when it was constructed.
I understand that the highway has caused damaging vibrations to the church, regardless, the city clearly treasures this landmark and I have hope that with increased notoriety the scars left by past unrest will not spread further than they have.
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| I can't help but wonder if the basic, almost industrial looking light fixtures are perhaps relics of Slovakia's all too recent difficulties |
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| Stunning Gothic windows in St. Martins |
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| This unusual little building is Ursuline Church and Convent, and it dates back to the 17th century when it was originally a protestant church. Perhaps the more minimalist architecture betrays that history. I appreciate the tower which almost appears a bit Moorish. Similar to other churches the foyer was open and you could peer through the locked gates at the sanctuary, however I respected a parishioner praying during my visit and chose to not take pictures and give them space. |
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Franciscan Church
and Monastery: This is the oldest existing
religious structure in the city. It was consecrated in the year 1297.
The way the afternoon light was pouring into this church was absolutely stunning, even the glisten on those polished slate/stone pieces is breath taking. It is hard to imagine the church was constructed to gather the light in this way, given many of the surrounding structures likely predate it, however I suppose they certainly may have exploited the location available. |
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| As you may be able to tell I was limited to an entrance area, looking back I was still able to capture some surprisingly decent photographs. I enjoyed lingering in this church, it had an inviting feeling to it, perhaps the muted golds and the soft light, but I distinctly remember not wanting to leave. |
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| Interesting how different the color of the floor seems in this light when contrasted to the photo above. |
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Trinitarian Church or Trinity Church (Church of Saint John of Matha and Saint Felix
of Valois) Construction on this began in 1717 and it was sanctified in
1727. I’m sad to say it was closed during the time we passed by because it
appears to have an intricate Baroque design from pictures I’ve found.
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| Door feature on the Trinitarian Church |
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| Situated above the doors |
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| The sanctuary was sealed off from the public, yet you could enter a foyer with a couple of small chapels for parishioners to come and pray as they please |
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| Inside the entrance to the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary |
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| Outside of the Church of The Visitation of the Virgin Mary. It was built in the early 1700s. This is located on the square of the Slovak National Uprising. |
The churches depicted here only represent a sampling of such sites to see in Bratislava. I only wish I had more time to have properly seen and documented every one of them, or attend a Mass. We did pause to watch a portion of a Mass in a Baroque church located in the old town. Despite being in Slovak, the ceremonies of the Holy Communion were unmistakable, and extra magical in these historic settings.
Text and photographs by George Parks
Sources are embedded in links
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