Kostol Nanebovzatia Panny Márie v Gelnici

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is one of the most important and oldest buildings in the town of Gelnica. This Gothic church dates back to the 14th century. It is believed that an even older Gothic church once stood on the site, whose sanctuary may correspond to today’s sacristy or may have been a separate small church. The massive ribs of the sacristy indicate that it is older than the current church structure.

One of the most distinctive features of the church is its exceptionally long and wide sanctuary, which is among the largest in the Spiš region. It is believed that the people of Gelnica originally intended to build a church that would surpass other Spiš churches in size, although this plan was never fully realized. The Gothic style is preserved in the original rib vaults in the side aisles and in the sanctuary, as well as in the pastophorium, which rests on a spiral column decorated with figurative motifs, a typical feature of 15th-century Spiš Gothic. A stone sedilia is located on the southern side of the sanctuary.

The nave of the church was built later, probably in the 15th century, and above the central nave rises a Baroque vault from the 18th century with Gothic elements. The church tower acquired its current form between 1867 and 1869.

From the original Gothic furnishings, only a bronze baptismal font from the late 14th century has been preserved, decorated with vine motifs and medallions, created by the Spišská Nová Ves master Konrád. A late Gothic stone statue of St. Barbara is located in the pastophorium, which is decorated with a Gothic grille featuring star-shaped patterns from the late 15th century. Most of the other furnishings date from the 18th century, including four Renaissance reliefs of the Evangelists in the sanctuary sedilia, a double-sided painted processional painting from the late 18th century, a ceremonial cabinet in the sacristy from the second half of the 18th century, and a monstrance and ciborium from 1764 made by Ján Szilaši.

Information taken from: www.gelnica.sk