Founded in 1319 by Master Kakaš Berzevici, heir and at that time owner of almost all the assets in north west Spiš, Červený Monastery is a Natural Cultural Monument picturesquely situated at the mouth of the River Lipnik in the Pieniny National Park.
In the period 1329-1563 the monastery was the seat of the Carthusian order and in the years 1704-1782 it accommodated the Camaldolese Monks of Monte Corona, who had the entire grounds modified in the Baroque style. The vault of the single-nave church is decorated with a remarkable Late-Baroque stuccowork. At this time the building of the monastery also served as a lodging house for pilgrims and for the sick, and the monastery hospital used medicinal herbs grown by the monks themselves. Here, in the 18th century, the Bible was first translated into Slovak and a Latin-Slovak dictionary was compiled.
In the 20th century the monastery passed into state ownership and was restored and subsequently reconstructed to become in 1993 the headquarters of the Červený Kláštor Museum. The simple monastic dwellings uncovered by archaeological research are presented only by indicating the ground floor plan.
Heritage > National cultural monuments
