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.
The Greek Catholic Church of the Holy Mother of God the Protector was built in 1938 according to a design by V Sičynsky, the esteemed Ukrainian architect and researcher of folk architecture. It is a tri-spatial log building with a dominant central tower. The windows narrow at the top in the Eastern Byzantine style. The interior decoration, except for the iconostasis, is from the period of the construction of the church. The iconostasis dates from the end of the 19th century and originates from Trebišov, from the Bohdanský family of icon painters. The best-known icon is the ‘Last Supper’ icon based on Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting.
Heritage > National cultural monuments > Wooden Churches of Eastern Slovakia
