The Franciscan church and monastery ( Slovakian: ''Františkánsky kostol a rímskokatolícky kláštor'') in

Nové Zámky Nové Zámky (; ) is a town in Nové Zámky District in the Nitra Region of southwestern Slovakia. Geography The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, at an altitude of 119 metres. It is located around 100 km fr ...

, Nitriansky,

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

is an important architectural building built between the years 1626–1631.

History

The first consecration of the church was done by Cardinal Peter Pazmáň on 24 May 1631. At first it was only a small church with shided roof and with a small monastery. At the beginning of 18th century the monastery was in the hands of

Francis II Rákóczi Francis II Rákóczi (, ; 27 March 1676 – 8 April 1735) was a Hungarian nobleman and leader of the Rákóczi's War of Independence against the Habsburgs in 1703–1711 as the prince () of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of ...

and

Miklós Bercsényi Count Miklós Bercsényi () ( Hrádok, Kingdom of Hungary, September 1665 – Tekirdağ, 6 November 1725) was a Hungarian military officer and chief general during Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711). Biography He was the son of General ...

, who expanded the monastery partially. By the end of 19th century, according to the plans of K. Bálint the next renovation was done. The last complex reconstruction was done between 1978 and the end of the 20th century.

Description

Pulpit The wooden pulpit is part of the Baroque furniture of the church and it was probably made during the extensive reconstruction in 1766–68. It was certainly restored and repainted many times, and some of the more minute details of the decoration were lost or changed. The last restoration happened in 2004–05. The access is from the adjoining monastery through a short link corridor. On the balustrade of the pulpit four cherubs are perched with the symbols of the Evangelists, some of them holding a pen and a book. Another characteristic part of the decoration is an arm holding a cross. The abat-voix is decorated with a dove, the Tablets of Stone and a

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

symbolizing the sacrifice of Christ.

Current use

Today the monastery serves as the location of the town museum and as a part of the accommodations for the spiritual order of

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

History

Description

Current use

See also