Lutheran Churches from Medieval Times

Monday, May 16th

     During my college and university days I was quite involved with the study of history and have nearly a double major in that discipline.  None of what I learned in college, outside of the history of the Reformation, prepared me for what I have learned in Slovakia.  The political history, particularly of the World Wars era, and the church history from the coming of the first missionaries Constantine and his brother Methodius to Moravia in 862, to the present, were simply not a part of my previous learning.  The political history and the history of the church are interwoven through over 1,000 years.  Both histories reflect a great deal of human suffering over this time period.  Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the parade of wars, ending perhaps at Dukla Pass in a battle between the Nazis and the Russian/Czech armies which took the lives of uncounted Germans, 80,000 Russians and 6,000 Czechs.
     The struggles of empires and nations dragged along in their wake the church.  A pawn of kings and emperors, popes and bishops, the church both flourished and suffered.  For the Lutheran Reformation the Slovak territories were fertile soil.  By 1523 a church was founded in Bardejov.  In 1539 a student of Luther and Melanchthon, Leonard Stockel, came to serve as pastor.  In Kezmarok, where three times a week we pass the Lutheran church, a church started in 1525.  Incredibly, by the 1560's, over 90% of Slovakia was Lutheran!  During these years, from 1523 to about 1603, the Lutherans flourished except for the attacks by the Turks. The coming of the Anti-Reformation, or the Counter Reformation, in the early 17th Century was a terrible time to be Lutheran.  The churches were returned to the Catholics, some were burned, Lutherans were both martyred and enslaved.  The worst of this was in Presov where 24 Lutherans were killed for their beliefs.
     Beginning with the Diet of Sopron and the resulting Articles 25 and 26, which allowed Lutherans to build their wooden churches, Lutheranism began, once again, to grow in Slovakia.  Many of the medieval churches we visited were originally Catholic, then Lutheran, then Catholic and now Lutheran.  I believe the oldest is at Rybnik, which dates in part to about 880, with most being from the 13th Centure.  Interestingly enough, two of the oldest are within sight of each other across a valley.  One is Celovce (pronounced "say-lov-sha"), the church that heads the blog and the church behind which are buried my great-grandparents, and the other is Chemelov (pronounced "kemellow") where some Rakos relatives attend today.  These churches went through some Hussite use, Chmelov first mentioned in 1212 and Celovce in 1270.
     Carolyn and I worshipped at Celovce yesterday.  I had a hard time to see the Slovak words of the hymns through the tears.  I must be an old softy because the same happened to me at Chemelov as I stood outside the door (we were too late to go in) and listened to the liturgy.  I thought I saw a tear in the eye of cousin Jan also.
     I would note for you again, many of these old churches had their beginnings as Roman Catholic churches.  As you view the photographs, particularly of the few inside photos, you will see the Roman features.  Other than ridding the sanctuaries of the symbols worshipping Mary and the saints, these fortress like Romanesque churches retain most of their symbols, frescoes and paintings from the Roman days.  In some cases, the early Lutherans put whitewash over the frescoes.  Most whitewash has now been removed and the frescoes preserved.  In what I have seen and been told, all but three of the Slovak Lutheran Churches of the Augsburg Confession have a picture of Jesus above the altar.  These pictures are all different, depicting Jesus' ministry, His suffering, death, resurrection and ascension.  While the Lutherans of the Reformation Era in other parts of Europe were destroying ecclesial art in the worship area, the Slovaks were saving it.  Some of the frescoes were whitewashed, triptych altar wings closed and statues put into storage.  At the meeting held in 1557 in Bardejov, it was determined to store rather than destroy.  This included "the everlasting light" which was thought to be unnecessary.
    I hope you enjoy this side trip through some of the medieval Lutheran churches of Slovakia. The journey of God's people is amazing!  Despite the conflicts and wars, His Grace prevails and He rules the world!  +Sola Deo Gloria+



Dobsina
Pastor Rado gave us the "king's tour" of this medieval beauty.  This is a new church, built in 1480, on a much older site.  The congregation was mostly made up of German miners and their families.

  



Ochitna
A Gothic church rebuilt in 1342-47, Ochitna houses an absolute treasure trove of medieval art.  Deacon Martin took time from his schedule to share this sanctuary and its history with us.  You might note how exteriors bely interiors.





Stitnik
This fortress of a Gothic church houses incredible treasures.  As you may note from the pictures, it is very original and in some cases deteriorating.  Begun in the last half of 1200 and continuing through 1460, this church is like walking through history, from the coats of arms, to the caskets, to the swords on the high wall, it exudes this past.  The two chandeliers that swing precariously over the nave are the only source of heat.  Note the organs (2) high on the back wall.





Celovce
This is the church that heads our blog.  You can see by the inside and outside condition that this church from the late 1200's has been well-loved.





Chemelov
Note the Hussite tower on this church.  The walls of the church are 44 inches thick.





Rybnik
This is the oldest church we could locate, and it is no longer used for worship.  Located up a windy dirt road she sits atop the hill guarding her cemetary.  Rybnik, in part, dates to 880.





Kamenany
This very old church (early 1200's) is looking its age.  The village is on the decline as evidenced by the collapsing houses.  This church absolutely dominates this village.



This section will be continued.............................

We are now in a hotel in Poland that has WiFi so the blog continues!

Ratkova
This is a new church, built in 1570, some 50 years before Plymouth Rock!

Rimavska Bana
There is a question in my mind as to whether this church is still used for worship as grass was hip high inside the locked gate.  Built in the late 1200's and recently remodled in the 1300's, she is still a real beauty.





Rimavske Brezovo
This sister congregation is also a late 1200's beauty. 
The interior frescoes date to 1360-80 and are considered a precious treasure.  Most all of these churches contain priceless art and religious artifacts which is why we found most churches locked.  I have spoken elsewhere about theft, and I now mention that at Rybnik vandals broke in and destroyed the ancient altar while trying to get into the crypt below.  The churches take great pains to protect these inheritances from the past.



Vysna Slana
This church was built about 1500 and, like many of these churches, has been added to and renovated over the years.  The exterior of many of these churches is painted this deep yellow with white trim.  We found out many times that yellow with white trim does not necessarily translate Lutheran.  From a distance we would see yellow and white only to discover when we found it that the church was Catholic.

Valchovo
This church is served by Pastor Rado's wife and is located a few kilometers south of Dobsina.

Slovosovce
Lui was with us on this day and he asked around, found the pastor and she unlocked the church and gave us a 'tour'.  The oldest part of this church is off on the left hand side and is a chapel built in 1395, with the rest of the church being added on later.  The wood carvings on the pulpit are of the evangelists.  The stone baptismal font is from 1639.  It was a thrill for us to be able to go inside!

Rostar
This rather boxy-looking gothic church, built in the early 1300's, is endowed with a beautiful Baroque altar and pulpit.  The black background on these sacred objects really show off the wooden carvings and the gold relief. 



(this got out of order....it belongs above with the Slavosovce photos above)



Kocelovce
The presbytery of this church is the original part built in the early 1300's and this is the part that contains the treasured frescoes of the Master of Ochtina which are thought to have been painted soon after 1350.  From the exterior the church looks extremely plain and of all the steeples I have seen, this to my eye, is the least appealing dome.  As was the case in many of these Catholic-turned-Lutheran churches, many of the frescoes were white-washed.  The three-band frescoes in this church fall into that category and were only discovered at the turn of the 19th Century.

In closing this section I would like to thank the pastors at Dobsina, Ochitna, Slavosovce and the Mayor of Stitnik for taking the time to show us their beautiful churches.  Most of the churches in this section are located in Gemer County.  For the most part it is quite rural and many of these pastors serve dual parishes.  I am reasonably sure that, had we been able to speak Slovak, we could have gotten inside a few more churches.  As it is, we feel extremely blessed to have seen what we have seen and hope that you enjoy the photos and history of this blog.
+Sola Deo Gloria+