Close to the Trenčín Castle, there is situated Parish church of the Birth of Virgin Mary, which is one of the most valuable and the oldest sacred buildings in the town. Together with St. Michael’s Carner, parish office and former armory, it was part of town fortification, which protected access road to the castle. These buildings formed a complex on Marienberg Hill, also known as Marienberg.
The parish church was built in 1324, on the foundation of a 13th century building. It has a three-nave Basilica-type structure with a simple right-angle presbytery and a protruding-front-pos itioned tower on the west side. Around the first half of 15th century, the church was reconstructed into a hall-like three nave structure with a polygonal presbytery. In 1528, during a besiege of the castle by Katzianer, the church and nearby St. Michael’s carner burned down. With permission by the king, repair work began in 1553.
The reconstruction was overseen by an italian builder Tobias Sebastiano. From 1553 – 1560, Sebastiano built new nave walls, roofed with arched vault with lunettes on Tuscan pillars. He also built a cellar underneath the sanctuary. The project was finished by Mikuláš Bussi. Throughout its history, the church has been damaged by fire many times.
After a fire in 1886 and at the begining of the 20th century, the church was rebuilt into today‘s shape.
The tower’s new dome was erected, a new faced was put on the building, colour vitrines were placed into the windows and the original brick paving was replaced by tiles. The Gothic burial plate of Martin Zima from 1498 is inserted into the walls of the church’s hall. A portion of the temple treasure is the gold-plated Gothic monstrance, given to king Ludovit the Great by the emperor Karol IV at the time when successful peace talks were taking place at Trenčín castle.
In the left side nave there is situated burial chapel of the Ilešházis with the portrait epitaph of Gašpar Ilešházi is located. The chapel from 1648 was reconstructed and decorated by Ludwig Gode, a student of the famous Rafael Donner. He is the author of the sculptor group called Crucification and the portrait epitaph of donator.
OPEN: you can visit the church before or after mass, which take place on Monday – Friday at 16.00, on Saturday at 8.30 and on Sunday at 9.00 and 11.00.
ENTRANCE FEE: voluntary
CONTACT
Rímskokatolícky farský úrad
Mariánske námestie 2, 911 01 Trenčín
Tel.: +421 (0)32 743 42 76
E-mail: trencin@nrb.sk
GALLERY
