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.
Built in 1740, the Church of St Michael the Archangel in Ruský Potok, with its two small towers with onion-shaped tops and three-armed atop a great shingle roof, is the dominant building of the municipality. The wooden belfry situated next to the church dates from 1956. The church is surrounded by a stone fence with two entrance gates covered with shingled roofs. The iconostasis dates from the period of the construction of this church. The church houses valuable liturgical books from the 17th century printed in Cyrillic.
Heritage > National cultural monuments > Wooden Churches of Eastern Slovakia
