The parish church in Spišská Nová Ves belongs to the biggest Gothic churches in Slovakia. Even though we may find an even older structure in this place, the three-isle hall was built in the 2nd half of the 14th century and probably even before its end the space was vaulted with cross ribbed vault. The church building is interesting mainly for its challenging architectonic plasticity: cornices and sectroids of the vault alternate with vegetable and figural motives (Madonna, God the Father, and busts of the Saints). The monumental sculptural decoration of the south portal with profiled scuncheon lining originally included also the statues in the side niches; they are missing today. The relief of the Virgin Mary coronation in the tympanum above the entrance is embedded into the architectonic framework with gothic phials terminated with cross rosette. Round window with carved work – rosette – rounds the main entrance into the church. Similarly challenging elements were not unique in Spiš at the end of the 14th century; the builders probably cooperated also in building contemporary Levoča churches – parish church and Minorite monastery.

In the parish church in Spišská Nová Ves, there are preserved also important liturgical objects, e.g. monstrance (dated back to 1520). Extremely valuable is one reliquary cross from partly gilded silver dated in the 2nd quarter of the 14th century. The front part includes cast figure of the Crucified Christ, on the back side there is nowadays only empty box for relics – wood fragment of the Holy Cross – originally covered with transparent mountain crystal. The figural programme of the reliquary also includes engraved three- and four-leaves on the cross sides. On the front – Virgin Marry and St. John the Evangelist together with St. Helen and Emperor Constantine the Great, on the back, the symbols of the four Evangelists. Another engravings, Suffering Christ and donators may be found on the leg. These were also originally covered with transparent coloured enamel of which only remains were preserved. According to some authors, the court jeweller Nicolaus Gallicus was the creator of the cross, according to others, the initials NC may refer to a possible donator – the Spiš castellan Nicolaus Castellanus.

Dušan Buran