Articulated wooden church in Istebno
On a hill above the village of Istebné, once called Medová hórka, stands a wooden Evangelical church, which is one of the five articular churches preserved in Slovakia. It was built at the end of the 17th century as a parish church for Istebné and twelve other surrounding villages, and according to tradition, the Swedish king also contributed to its construction. Today it is a national cultural monument.
What will you see?
- A wooden building with a Greek cross-shaped floor plan, which grew into its present form in the 18th century.
- Baroque altar with a painting of the Holy Trinity and a pulpit with statues of the evangelists.
- Painted interior decoration and a rare wooden chalice.
- A brick bell tower from 1731 and ancient linden trees around the premises.
Good to know
- The tour lasts approximately 30 minutes.
- The church is located just a few kilometers from Dolný Kubín and the articular church in Leštiny - both monuments can be conveniently combined into one half-day trip.
- From the hill near the church there is a nice view of the Orava valley.
- This is a living temple, so please respect the services and the peace of the place when visiting.
Photo: SchiDD (CC BY-SA 4.0), SchiDD (CC BY-SA 4.0), SchiDD (CC BY-SA 4.0), SchiDD (CC BY-SA 4.0), SchiDD (CC BY-SA 4.0) – Wikimedia Commons
- Even in bad weather
Other places – Churches and wooden churches
Baroque Church of St. Martin – Podwilk (Poland)
The first brick church in Polish Orava (1767) in the Upper Hungarian Baroque style with a stucco relief of St. Wendelin and an altar with the Hungarian kings.
Wooden Church of All Saints in Tvrdošín
A 15th-century Gothic wooden church listed by UNESCO - a shingle roof, a Baroque altar and a ceiling like a starry sky.
Wooden articular church in Leština (UNESCO)
A wooden Evangelical church from 1688–1689 without a single nail, with a richly painted interior – one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Orava.