The most numerous group of wooden churches in Slovakia is that formed by the Greek Catholic and Orthodox churches, which are scattered all over the north eastern region. The most characteristic feature of these religious buildings is their emphasis on the number three, symbolising the Holy Trinity. This can be seen not only in their three domes, but also in their groundplan, with three areas arranged in an axis ascending in height from west to east. The women congregated in the babinec (babinets), the area nearest to the door and the men in the nave (the largest part of the church), while the sanctuary was used for church rites. A wooden screen known as the iconostasis, typically incorporating three openings or doors and painted with icons depicting Christ, the Mother of God, the saints, feast days and the prophets and apostles, separates the nave from the sanctuary.
The Eastern Orthodox Church of St Luke the Evangelist at Krivé dates from 1826. The tri-spatial church with its shingles and plate shuttering gives the outer impression of a unified building. The polygonal section of the altar room has an oval shape. The iconostasis incorporates a wide-ranging set of icons from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Heritage > National cultural monuments > Wooden Churches of Eastern Slovakia
