st.Egidius Church Church with grounds

The church of St.Egidius in Poprad district in Prešov region is a Roman Catholic church with an area that comes from the first half of the 13th century. The original Gothic building was later modified baroquely.

Poprad is mentioned in historical records for the first time in 1256 and the report on the existence of the parish comes from 1268. Church formation is related to the cult of St. Egidius. According to the legend preserved in the 19th century records, there was a pilgrimage chapel that was the remains of a monastery destroyed during the Tatar invasion. The building was created around 1245 as a single-ship church with a flat cap Presbytery and a probable tower on the west side. At the end of the 13th century, a portal was created in the southern wall of the ship, the authorship of which is attributed to the stone hut operating in Spiš. The first written record of the existence of the building dates back to 1326 in connection with the indulgences granted by Pope John XXII.

The church is today a two-ship building with a presbytery and a built-up southern hall. On the west side there is a square tower with a vaulted vault on the ground floor, a tribune chamber on the first floor and a wooden entrance from 1696 under a bell-shaped helmet. The oldest preserved parts of the period around 1288 are the lower parts of the masonry tower, the perimeter walls of the ships and the enchanted presbytery. The dominant element of an almost square ship is a massive ten-side column, which carries a vault of a roof with a gothic ribbing.

The interior of the church is very close and its equipment comes from the Baroque reconstruction at the end of the 18th century. It includes the late Baroque main altar with the painting of the patron and the Baroque pulpit. An interesting element is the Renaissance baptismal of red marble from 1646. The oldest frescoes from the 15th century cover almost all walls and depict various Bible scenarios, the lives of saints, including the Holy Egidius, Valentine's Day, and George, as well as the figures of kings and ancient prophets. On the triumphal arch is the historical oldest depiction of the High Tatras.

In the second half of the 14th century, the main ship was closed and the chapel of St. Valentine's Day was added. Although the church was originally the Roman Catholic Church, between 1575 and 1671 it served the Gospels. In 1663 the tower was rebuilt and the south hall was added to the ship. The fire from 1708 destroyed the wooden parish and archive and damaged the chapel of St. Valentine's Day. At the end of the 18th century, a Baroque reconstruction took place, where the Gothic windows were replaced by Baroque windows.

The area records the Monument Office of the Slovak Republic and consists of five buildings: the church, brick and wooden fence from the second half of the 17th century, the Renaissance belfry from the year 1663, the church cemetery from the middle of the 13th century and the adaptation from the third quarter of the 19th century.

In the 20th century, the construction gradually deteriorated, resulting in its closure in 1942 for safety reasons. After archaeological and historical-architectonic survey, restaurant works were carried out in three stages, completed in 1998. The reconstruction of the church gained appearance from the end of the 19th century and was again made available to believers and visitors.

The church of St.Egidius is an important document of the history of Poprad and Spišská Gothic, which allows you to familiarize yourself with fresco decoration and architectural development of the city.