Church of St. Peter of Alcantara-interior tour
Church of St. Peter of Alcantara-interior tour
Monastery Church of St. Peter of Alcantara is the largest sacral building in Liptov and at the same time a unique Gothic architecture in Slovakia. It was built on the banks of the Váh River in the Okoličné district, which was once an independent municipality owned by the Okoličiansky family. read more
It is likely that this family founded the monastery complex with the material support of the surrounding aristocratic families around 1476 on the site of the original Gothic church of St. Cosmos and Damian. The monastery church was (also thanks to the donor activities of the Liptov mayor Matúš of Čečejovce) completed at the beginning of the 16th century.
It was consecrated to the Virgin Mary Queen of Angels and the adjoining monastery served the Franciscans - the observants, the followers of St. Francis of Assisi. After the forced departure of the Franciscans from Okoličné in 1571 the monastery was taken over by the Evangelicals. The Franciscans returned here after more than 130 years thanks to the Bishop of Nitra, Ladislav Mattyasovszký, who repaired the church and built a new Baroque monastery next to it. At that time he also received a new patronage - St. Peter of Alcantara. 77 years after extensive reconstruction, the church was hit by a huge flood in 1813 and required further repairs. The damages of World War II were removed only in 1952. After an extensive renovation in 2009 - 2022 and a comprehensive restoration of the interior, the church once again shone in its late medieval splendor. Today it is the seat of the Roman Catholic parish and the adjacent monastery of Our Lady Queen of Angels serves the parish and the Community of the Beatitudes. audio guide
It was consecrated to the Virgin Mary Queen of Angels and the adjoining monastery served the Franciscans - the observants, the followers of St. Francis of Assisi. After the forced departure of the Franciscans from Okoličné in 1571 the monastery was taken over by the Evangelicals. The Franciscans returned here after more than 130 years thanks to the Bishop of Nitra, Ladislav Mattyasovszký, who repaired the church and built a new Baroque monastery next to it. At that time he also received a new patronage - St. Peter of Alcantara. 77 years after extensive reconstruction, the church was hit by a huge flood in 1813 and required further repairs. The damages of World War II were removed only in 1952. After an extensive renovation in 2009 - 2022 and a comprehensive restoration of the interior, the church once again shone in its late medieval splendor. Today it is the seat of the Roman Catholic parish and the adjacent monastery of Our Lady Queen of Angels serves the parish and the Community of the Beatitudes. audio guide
The church consists of a three-nave hall with a length of 25 meters and a 17-meter-long sanctuary, illuminated by 4 Gothic apse windows and covered with a beautiful net vault. A Franciscan crypt was built in the centre of the sanctuary in the middle of the 18th century. The three-nave space is arched with a beautiful star vault supported by 6 columns. In its central part there are 4 medieval paintings called "Franciscan Heaven". Others are located above the triumphal arch, where there is the "Bernardine Sun" situated in the middle. The paintings were discovered and restored to their original form during the last reconstruction. The interior of the church consists of the main baroque altar of St. Peter of Alcantara and 6 side baroque altars, a pulpit with statues of four evangelists and ornately carved patron benches from 1721. A chapel is added to the nave from the north side and below it there are the tombs of peasants of the Okoličiansky family. The Ladislav Mattyasovsky Museum, established in the cloister connecting the church and the monastery, is entered from the church through a Gothic portal discovered in 2011. The parish museum provides visitors with an insight into the spiritual life of the Franciscans. audio guide
❶ The main Baroque altar of St. Peter of Alcantara with the central painting of St. Peter in prayer from 1747. On the sides the scene is accompanied by statues of saints of the Franciscan order - Francis of Assisi and Anthony of Padua and Hungarian patrons - St. Ladislav and St. Stefan. Above the coat of arms of Okoličiansky family there is a scene of the Annunciation, on the left side bowing St. Bonaventure, on the right St. Louis of Toulouse. The altar is finished with the sculptural image of God the Father in heaven. audio guide
❷ Late Gothic sedilia - a niche in the south wall of the presbytery - is finished with a stone ornament and coat of arms. audio guide
❸ Late Gothic painted wall clock, discovered in 2020, were installed here at the turn of the 15th to 16th century at the latest. Their location in the interior of the church is unique in the whole Slovakia. audio guide
❹ In the baroque crypt of the Franciscan Convention from the first half of the 18th century, restored in 2015-17, the remains of about 50 monks were found there. audio guide
❺ The ribs of the late medieval net vault of the sanctuary create a complicated pattern. At the south window there is a console with a stone mark on the coat of arms, the location of which probably indicates the high status of the person to whom it refers. audio guide
❻ Two baroque carved patronage three-seater benches belonged to the rich donor Okoličiansky. audio guide
❻ Two baroque carved patronage three-seater benches belonged to the rich donor Okoličiansky. audio guide
❼ Baroque pulpit from the end of the 17th century with figures of four evangelists, Christ with instruments of martyrdom, with a statue of the Madonna and Child, a sculpture of Archangel Michael with a dragon, and a typical emblem of Franciscan pulpits - a hand holding a crucifix. audio guide
❽ Late medieval murals "Bernardine Sun" form the abbreviation IHS (Jesus, Redeemer of Man) surrounded by a crown of thorns and 72 rays of the sun. On the sides there are the coats of arms of King Matej Korvín and his wife Beatrix of Aragón, on the top there is the coat of arms of the mayor Matúš of Čečejovce. audio guide
❾ Medieval murals Franciscan heaven in the central star of the nave depict Franciscan saints who refer to the convent of the Franciscan Friars Minor. They appeared in their original beauty after 100 years, when they were hidden under a layer of paint. audio guide
❿ Side Baroque altar with a painting of St. Ján Nepomucký, confessing to the Czech queen Žofia, was made in 1750. audio guide
⓫ Side baroque altar of St. Anthony of Padua from 1749 with a painting of St. Anton and statues of St. Joseph and St. Jerome. audio guide
⓬ The Baroque altar architecture of the altar of the Pieta - the Virgin Mary of the Seven Sorrows - is the work of an unknown master. audio guide
⓭ The side Baroque altar of the Holy Cross is dominated by a large Gothic statue of the crucified Christ from 1490. audio guide
⓮ The paintings of the Calvary were painted in 1760 by Michal Martinický from Námestovo. audio guide
⓯ The Baroque mechanical organ was installed in 1820 by František Finkler on an empora, modified to its current form in 1764. audio guide
⓰ The Ladislav Mattyaszovský Museum features a fragment of the Annunciation by the Master of Okoličné (part of the wing of the original altar from 1500 - 1510), the statue of St. Barbara and St. Catherine by Master Paul of Levoča, Baroque liturgical objects or archeological finds from the interior of the church. Side baroque altar of St. Anthony of Padua from 1749 with a painting of St. Anton and statues of St. Joseph and St. Jerome. audio guide
TOURIST TOURS OF THE CHURCH
1.9. - 30.6.: Tue-Su: 10.00 - 12.00, 14.00 - 17.00 after a telephone request
1.7. - 31.8.: Tue-Fr: 10.00 - 12.00, 14.00 - 17.00 and Sa - Su: 14.00-17.00
CONTACT
Church of St. Peter of Alcantara, Kláštorná 123, Liptovský Mikuláš
Church of St. Peter of Alcantara, Kláštorná 123, Liptovský Mikuláš
Parish office Okoličné, M. Linčovského 123/2A, Tel.: +421 915 171 888
TOURIST TOURS OF THE CHURCH
1.9. - 30.6.: Tue-Su: 10.00 - 12.00, 14.00 - 17.00 after a telephone request
1.7. - 31.8.: Tue-Fr: 10.00 - 12.00, 14.00 - 17.00 and Sa - Su: 14.00-17.00
And open during services whole year: Mo-Sa: 18.00, Su: 7.00, 9.00, 11.00
Voluntary admission fees.
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