The Evangelical Church of the

Augsburg Confession The Augsburg Confession (), also known as the Augustan Confession or the Augustana from its Latin name, ''Confessio Augustana'', is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of th ...

Levoča Levoča (; ; ) is the principal town of Levoča District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia, with a population of 14,256. The town has a historic center with a well-preserved town wall, a Gothic architecture, Gothic church with the talle ...

, (), Slovakia, is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church which dates from 1823 and replaced two earlier, wooden, churches.Michalková (n.d.), p. 6

The church

The first Lutheran church in the town was a wooden articular church, built outside the city walls in 1688. This church burned down in 1709, and a second wooden church was built in 1713. These churches were on the site of the present Evangelical cemetery of the town. Following the Edict of Tolerance issued by

Emperor Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

in 1781, it was permitted to construct evangelical churches within city boundaries. From 1823, finance was raised, including from the sale of bibles printed in the town, and the church was consecrated in 1832. It is situated at the southern end of the town's main square, today named Majster Pavol Square. The church's architect was Anton Povolný, who also designed the town's County Hall (Župný dom) (constructed 1802–1822), both in a Neoclassical style. The format of the church is a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

, surmounted by a dome. There are two

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

s, a Baroque organ from the first church and a larger modern instrument. The large painting above the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

, of Christ walking on the water, was painted by Jozef Czauczic. THe church maintains an extensive historic library.Michalková (n.d.), p. 8

Other buildings in Levoča associated with the church

A number of other buildings in Levoča are associated with the church and the Lutheran community of the town. The

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

, also in Majster Pavol Square, was originally known as Hain's House, and was given to the Lutheran community in 1796. It became a stronghold of

Slovak nationalism Slovak nationalism is an ethnic nationalist ideology that asserts that the Slovaks are a nation and promotes the cultural unity of the Slovaks. History Modern Slovak nationalism first arose in the 19th century in response to Magyarization of ...

in the 1840s under supporters of

Ľudovít Štúr Ľudovít Štúr (; 28 October 1815 – 12 January 1856), also known as Ľudovít Velislav Štúr, was a Slovak revolutionary, politician, and writer. As a leader of the Slovak nationalism, Slovak national revival in the 19th century and the c ...

. The building today houses the exhibition halls of the Spiš Museum in Levoča, the local branch of the

Slovak National Museum The Slovak National Museum () is the most important institution focusing on scientific research and cultural education in the field of museology in Slovakia. Its beginnings "are connected with the endeavour of the Slovak nation for national emanc ...

.Michalková (n.d.), p. 10Rusnák (2005) p. 60 The

Parsonage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, pa ...

at ul. Vysoky 1 was given to the church in 1801 and extensively remodeled a century later. It contains pews and other items from the former Evangelical Church at Dvorce, a nearby village which was destroyed in the 1950s to make way for the

Javorina Javorina was a military district in the Kežmarok District in northern Slovakia, in the Levoča Hills. Its area is 316.24 km2 and has no permanent population. History The military district was created in 1952. It was created from the whole ...

military training area. The Hospital and Orphanage outside the city's eastern walls now form part of the town hospital. Michalková (n.d.), pp. 16, 18 Just south of the orphanage building, the Evangelical Cemetery preserves its 1722 gateway and contains a rectangular single-

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

church built in 1895.Michalková (n.d.), p. 14

References

Notes

Sources

* Lacika, Ján (1999). ''Spiš''. Bratislava: Dajama *Michalková, Vladena and Ján Matis, tr. Michal Pigula (n.d.). ''The Heritage of Evangelical Church, Levoča''. Levoča: Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia. * Rusnák, Ernest, et al. (2005). ''Levoča a okolie'' (in Slovak). Spišska Nová Ves: Lubafotopres. {{DEFAULTSORT:Levoča, Evangelical Church Churches in Prešov Region Lutheran churches in Slovakia Churches completed in 1837 19th-century churches in Slovakia 1837 establishments in the Austrian Empire 19th-century establishments in Hungary

Evangelical Church Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Neoclassical church buildings in Slovakia