The most numerous group of wooden churches in Slovakia is that formed by the Greek Catholic and Orthadox 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.
According to the engraved inscription on the central interior beam, the tri-spatial wooden Greek Catholic Church of the Holy Mother of God the Protector was built in 1764. It is has a stone foundation, covered with vertical boards and ledges from the outside. All three sections – the tower hall, the square nave and the sanctuary – are finished with small onion-shaped towers with metal crosses. The roof is covered with shingles. Only fragments of the original iconostasis, such as a picture of the Mother of God from the second half of the 18th century, have been preserved. The present Baroque Iconostas originally belonged to the Church in Krajná Bystrá. A wooden bell-tower with three bells is situated next to the church.
Heritage > National cultural monuments > Wooden Churches of Eastern Slovakia
