In Slovakia, there are numerous monuments from the Gothic period. The majority of them is present in churches in Bardejov and Levoča. The unique Altar of St James, which is the main altar of the Basilica of St James in Levoča, stands out among them. Its height of 18.62 m (60 Levoča feet) makes it the tallest preserved Gothic altar in the world. It fills a relatively small presbytery from the floor to the ceiling without losing its airy and noble elegance. On the contrary, it creates a harmonious whole with the architecture. It is an artwork of unique quality. Its placement, in a relatively small presbytery of the church, is ingenious and so is its geometric harmony − it is constructed from a set of triangles and circles - it is extraordinary that despite the fact that several artists of the woodcarving workshop of Master Paul of Levoča worked on the altar, all its parts - from the prominent statues to the smallest decoration - are executed with a high level of quality from both the woodcarving, painting and gilding perspective. Most likely, it was created between 1508 – 1517 when it was finished by painting and gilding. Its author is Master Paul of  Levoča. We do not know where the artist came from before he was in Levoča however we know that he lived and worked here from at least 1507 until his death around 1540. We also know his family. Equally exceptional is also the fact that Master Paul, who was already a Renaissance woodcarver − which is also testified to by other altars, especially the altar of St John in the same church, made this altar in a perfect Gothic style after the request from the conservative city council of Levoča. It is a unique piece of art; it is immensely elegant and technically perfectly executed. It is very fortunate that it has been preserved up until now despite the fact that Levoča has completely burned down several times. It was threatened by the anobiid beetle, however it was saved by the restoration works of the Kotrba brothers in the first half of the 1950s. In the past, some of the details of this altar (e.g. Madonna) have been already released within our stamp production, however it is only now being released as a whole.                                                                                                                                    Ivan Chalupecký