Evangelical church

At the beginning of the 16th century, the ideas of Luther’s Reformation also took root in Trenčín. The Reformation was supported by the Iléšházi family, especially Gašpar Iléšházi. At that time, the Evangelical Church was the majority in Trenčín for a whole century. The parish church under the castle also belonged to the Evangelicals. In 1570, the first lower Evangelical grammar school in the city was established – the first of its kind in Trenčín.

 

Reformation in Trenčín

Trenčín became an important center of the Reformation for the entire Považie region, as evidenced by the significant church assemblies held there. On October 5, 1580, the First Synod was held, adopting the laws of three seniorates: Trenčín, Orava, and Liptov. At that time, priests who joined the Reformation were still under the authority of the Catholic hierarchy. The Evangelical Church in Upper Hungary became independent from Catholic authority only at the Synod in Žilina in 1610. In Trenčín, the Second Synod took place on January 27, 1619, and the Third Synod on March 17, 1642.

During the Counter-Reformation, the Iléšházi family converted. The parish church under the castle had to be handed over to the Catholics, and for several years the Evangelicals met in the wooden church “Pod hríbom.” At the beginning of the 18th century, Trenčín was threatened not only by famine and plague but also by a fire that destroyed the entire inner town and almost the entire suburb. The Evangelical wooden church also burned down. The Evangelicals then gathered in the barn of a member of the church congregation in Horný Šianci. Today, the oldest Christian cemetery in Trenčín is located at that site, owned by the Evangelical Church.

After the adoption of the Toleration Patent, the Evangelicals built their own church in Trenčín. It was consecrated on September 29, 1794, on the feast of St. Michael. The church is longitudinal, hall-style, with a gable roof and an onion-shaped tower on the façade. In 1889, a new rectory was built next to the church, serving the congregation until 1978, when the state expropriated and demolished it. The entire parish plot had to give way to a local road and an unplanned parking lot.

 

Church reconstruction

The Evangelical church underwent significant reconstruction, especially in 1935, when its interior was redesigned. The pulpit was relocated, and a new altar was built, dominated by a dark red granite cross with a corpus of Jesus Christ in white marble by academic sculptor Jozef Pospíšil. A new choir was also added. The renovated church was consecrated on September 29, 1935, by the Bishop of the Western District, Dr. Samuel Štefan Osuský. The entrance doors were created by Trenčín master metalworker Artur Michalec. Another major renovation took place between 1985–1987, when the old sacristy was demolished, a new one added, and new clocks installed on the tower. The consecration was performed by General Bishop ThDr. Ján Michalko.

Open: The church can be visited before or after services, held every Sunday at 9:00 AM.

Admission: voluntary

Contact:
Evanjelický a. v. farský úrad
Jilemnického 18, 911 01 Trenčín
Tel.: +421 (0)32 652 80 44
E-mail: trencin@ecav.sk
Web: www.ecav-trencin.eu

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