Redaktor:Reichlová Miriam/pieskovisko

Spišská Kapitula is a former village in the Eastern Slovakia in Hornádska basin, since the year 1948 it’s a part of Spišské Podhradie. It was one of the centers of church education in Slovakia. There was the Romanesque Cathedral of St. Martin from 1245 to 1273. Spišská Kapitula is currently the seat of the Bishop of Spiš and also it is the center of the Spiš diocese, which includes almost the entire historical territory of Spiš, Liptov and Orava. It is often referred to as the small Slovak Vatican. History of Spišská Kapitula dates back to the early Middle Ages. On the hill of St. Martin, in the place called Pažica, on the hill above today's Spišská Kapitula, stood before 1050 its predecessor in the form of a small area of the Benedictine Abbey. It wasn’t the monastery, but the royal court. At the same time there was a school in the 13th century. As a result, a sort of church town was built, which in addition to the pre-Christian church consisted of the Pre-Palais palace, the houses of individual canons and some other buildings. The oldest part was rebuilt in the 13th century by the fortifications, the lower part of the castle was given walls in the 17th century. Today the whole building has two entrance gates.

St. Martin Cathedral of the Romanesque Catholic Cathedral in Spišská Kapitula, is a local part of the town of Spišské Podhradie in the district of Levoča. It is the cathedral of the Spiš diocese and also the parochial church. From the architectural point of view, it is a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, built in the first third of the 13th century as a three-lane pseudo-basilica with one transverse ship. In 1963 it was registered in the Central List of Monuments under number 782/1. In 1993, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Levoča Settlement, the Spiš Castle and the surrounding monuments. In 2003, the remains of Bishop Ján Vojtaššák were deposited in the cathedral.

History The Bishop's Cathedral is the central building of Spišská Kapitula. It is a monument in which Romanesque style is combined with a late-Gothic style. It was built in the late-Romanesque style between 1245 and 1273 at the site of an older 12th-century church. During its existence, the church went through many structural modifications. His current appearance was given in the 15th century. In connection with the formation of the bishopric in 1776, the building modifications were made, leaving a significant footprint on the interior. The construction of the cathedral can be classified into three main building phases, also well visible in the architecture of the building. The first phase was the Romanesque basilica, which they built in the first half of the 13th century. The interior space consisted of three naves of varying height, but with the same width of each boat, with the middle boat being twice as tall and having a basilicary light. Each nave had two bays and was finished with a semicircular apse. The Empora is adjacent to the back of the temple and two Romanesque towers dominate the western side. The ground floor of the Empire has massive Romanesque cross-vaults resting on richly-shaped Romanesque columns. Above the ground floor is the empora with a chrome. The Romananesque wall has retained the northern wall with an entrance portal and a narrow window, and also part of the eastern wall with a Romananesque victory arc. The Western Romanesque portal was restored in the Neo-Romananesque style in the 19th century. The construction of the Romanesque Basilica was completed in 1273 when a second tower was built. Two hundred years ago, the basilica was not big enough to increase its number of believers and was considerably devastated. In 1433, the church was damaged and in 1462 it was rebuilt under the leadership of Ján Stocka. After his death in 1464, the new Spiš provost was built by Caspar Beck. During this period, a new Gothic presbytery was built and aisles were elevated to the level of the nave, this becoming the three-naves halls of the original basilica. Aisles were given a star vault. In 1478, the church was officially consecrated. All eleven altars were sanctified at the church. The completion in 1497 would expose the vault of the northern vault with the coat of arms of Caspar Beck. At the end of the 15th century (1488-1493), the owner of Spišský castle and later the Spiš district administrator became the family of Zápoľský, who built new gothic chapel in the church of St. Martin's. The chapel was built on the site of the smaller chapel of Božie Telo (1382). Stylishly imitates the chapel in the church of St. Ladislav in Spišský Štvrtok, but it does not reach its architectural perfection, slenderness and beauty. Probably it was made by masters from Košice, who took part in the construction of the Dome of St. Elisabeth in Košice. The chapel space is linked to the church by two open arcades. It features high Gothic windows and fine mesh vaults. The chapel has two separate vestments, as well as its own emporium with a late-gothic tract in the railing. Other building reconstructions had secondary importance. At the beginning of the 18th century, in 1706, baroque sacristy was presented. In years 1777 - 1779 the church was renovated and in years 1873 to 1889 the Cathedral under the leadership of F. Storno was regrouped and expanded with the southern lateral annexation. The Western and Northern. Portals were restored in the Neo-Romanesque style.

Architecture The Cathedral of St. Martin combines several architectural styles from different periods, complemented by contemporary architectural form and historical, artistic and documentary value during the construction stages and the development of the building. The Romanesque and Gothic style prevails in the building, complementing them perfectly. Among the main Romanesque features are the original western chorus, underneath the six crosses of the cross ribbed vault, merging with the inscriptions on the richly shaped Romanesque pillars. The column heads are richly decorated with a berry and acantine pattern and point to the Italian influence and a possible Italian author of the basilica. The original southern portal retained a statue of the stone lion, which was part of the lower part of the brass. The original Romanesque westwork is divided by a horizontal dentil and a swirl frieze, the towers have double windows with a central pillar with a cake and a berry head. The western portal consists of three rectangular concessions into which are embedded pillars bearing a semi-circular archivolt, and is solved in the form of a flat avant-corps with a triangular shield and a swirl frieze. The appearance of this portal was changed by reconstruction in the 19th century, when its Neo-Romanianesque edicule was added. The Gothic presbytery with an elongated polygonally finished floor plan is vaulted by a mesh vault with profiled ribs, like the new Gothic vault of the main ship, the transversally regotified ships of the hall of the church have a master star vault. The presbyterium was equipped with a rare stone pastforium, with a preserved original metal lattice. The nave is opened by a triumphant winning arc preserved from the Roman period and two lateral arches in the eastern wall to the side boats. To the south wall there was a floor building of a sacristy with a library on the floor. Access to the library archive is through a circular staircase built into a pillar at the corner of the northern ship with an entrance to the late Gothic portal. The chapel of the Zápoľský, situated to the south side of the church, has a rectangular, polygonally closed base and a fine mesh vault.It is built in a late-gothic style, as evidenced by the late-Gothic stone tract on the balustrade of the Western Choir. Typical are also high non-Gothic windows reminiscent of the chapel in Spišský Štvrtok according to which the Chapel of Zápoľsko was designed. The Baroque adaptation focused in particular on the restoration of the plaster and the roof, the construction of a new pavement and the removal of the Protestant epitaphs. From this period is also the baroque sacristy from the northern side of the Gothic presbytery with Prussian vaults. In 1630, they equipped the ship and the benches whose rails bear carved reliefs of an incredibly high artistic level. On the walls we can admire the funerary shields - mortuariums – of important celebrities of the 17th century. During the regrooving under the direction of František Storn, new plasters and new Gothic elements were built as a balustrade between the towers and the incorporation of new aditional parts, new paving was laid and in 1880 the windows were squeezed by the design of Albert Jele and made new portals. The northern portal imitates the architecture of the western portal, which has been supplemented with new Neoromanesque elements, the other portals were regrouped (brothers Hennelovci). The grids between the presbytery and the ship were designed by arch. J. Lipperta. F. Dabert and J. Hanula completed the demolition in 1888. At the same time, they renewed the altars and the interior in the spirit of purist regrotization - the original baroque facilities were removed, the altars were given new Gothic chambers and shields (except the altar of the Virgin Mary). However, the redevelopment purification has also hit the rare Gothic fresco above the northern portal in the interior, whose historical theme has not been fully supplemented. At present the monument of Spišská Kapitula is preserved and it is one of the most beautiful landscapes of the cultural landscapes in Slovakia.

Wall paintings Only one medieval wall painting was preserved in the cathedral. They discovered it in the 1950s and partially restored it in the spirit of restoration purification. A massive painted tempera work is placed above the smaller Romanesque portal. It was painted in 1317 by Henry's Spišský prepošt. The painting depicts the crowning of Karol Robert for the King of Hungary.

Windows The 15th-century Gothic stone statues are filled with stained glasses from the late 19th century made in Innsbruck. They depict the life and activity of St. Martin and his Patron Saint. Juraja, one window only has a wallpaper pattern. Older windows are in the Chapel of Zagreb. All scenes show the theme of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, which was dedicated to the rest of the chapel.

Altars The current altars come from the 15th century and later. The device consisted of thirteen altars, later added. These are the altar-cubicles decorated with coins and table-top paintings that all have the greatest value. In the 17th century the altars were baroque in the 17th century, while in the 19th century there were only five original altars, which were insensely overmolded, which reduced their artistic value. Current altars include: • The main altar - consecrated in 1478, in the 19th century it was regrouped. From the original altar, only the paintings of movable and solid wings were preserved in their original state. They have one of extremely high artistic values and are part of the spišský master. Here are the modified central statues of Our Lady with St. Martin, radically cut and regrouped. On the four front panels, three figures of royal saints and saints are depicted, the eight tables of the closed altar displaying the Passion Cycle. The altar was probably made by King Mateus Corvinus, which confirms the symbol of the black raven with a ring in the beak - a symbol of the Corvinus genus, Osvald. • The the bow altrair of the Three Kings-they installed it in 1497. It shows the praise of the Three Kings of Jesus and the holy family. Kings King Gašpar kisses the foot of Jesus, and is apparently the image of Gaspar Beck. The Church is portrayed by the Christ on the grave with the Virgin Mary, the evangelist John and the angel, the various saints on the surrounding paintings. • The altar of the death of the Virgin Mary - made in the years 1470 - 1478 depicts the Virgin Mary falling into the mood in the arms of St. John the Evangelist, surrounded by apostles. Despite the overlay, the altar kept the emotional urgency and the depth of the message. The exaltation continues under the curtain curtain, the figure of Christ bearing the soul of Our Lady together with the two angels. Alegory is complemented by the coronation of the Virgin Mary on the neo-Gothic foundation. The paintings depict the Hungarian patrons. • The altar of the Coronation of Our Lady - stands in the chapel of Zápoľsky since 1490. The celebration of Christ's mother concentrates on the gilt soup of Virgin Mary surrounded by a holy trio with a floating crown above her head. The celebration of Our Lady is portrayed in the paintings of the Marian cycle, on the eight images of the closed altar are Christ's Passion. The whole altar is crowned by a flying, chic-aerated canopy. • Piety altar - Neo-Gothic altar on the southern wall of the Chapel of Zápoľský. • Altar of St. Michal Archangel - originated around 1470. On the central board, the Archangel Michal is portrayed as the soul-maker at the last court. On the wings of the altar are the images of the church fathers. • Altar of St. The Cross - from 1629, is located in the western Romanesque part of the temple below the southern tower. It is one of the rare examples of the Maniers' altars in Spiš. The three-part altar emerges from the Gothic concept, depicting the crucifixion of Christ and the hips of angels holding the instruments of torture. There is an original picture of the celebration. At the bottom it is putting Christ in the grave. • The Altar of the Divine Heart of Jesus - the youngest altar in the cathedral dating back to 1902, carries the typical elements of a Neo-Gothic style from the early 20th century. In the center is a statue of Jesus Christ, to the left of which is a small Virgin Mary and her mother, Saint Anna, on the right is St. John the Baptist. Margita Mária Alacoque. Other equipment of the cathedral There are various free sculptures, paintings, epitaphs and montages in the cathedral. Today, the cathedral's facility is largely the result of a 19th-century reboot. From this period, the canonical benches - stables in the sanctuary. The Baptism was a neo-Gothic church in 1879. The same time, the Crusaders are also descended. From the older period there are benches that are found in boats. They are ranobarokes from 1630 and have rich earrings ornaments. In their faces there are carved reliefs, which depict the birth of Christ, the Taming of the Three Kings, Families to Egypt and Christ on the Olive Mountain. The church has three organs today. All of them have neo-Gothic cabinets and new. I Even the chapel of Zápoľské has an organ from 1873. The painting of the sanctuary vault is from 1888 and it is work of Felix Dabert.