Basilica of St Giles in Bardejov: a Gothic church of winged altars
The Basilica of St Giles (Bazilika svätého Egídia) closes the northern side of the Town Hall Square in Bardejov, in the Šariš region of north-eastern Slovakia. This three-aisled Gothic church, begun in the 14th century, is the most valuable monument of the town and a highlight of any hidden-gems trip in the east of the country.
Eleven late-Gothic winged altars still stand where medieval craftsmen placed them, in a church that survived five great fires, an earthquake that toppled its tower, and a bombing in 1944.
The history of the Basilica of St Giles
The story begins in the early 13th century. Around 1206 Cistercian monks from Koprzywnica in Poland settled here and founded a monastery dedicated to St Giles. A royal charter of King Béla IV from 1247 contains the first written mention of a church on this land, but the monks left in the second half of the 13th century. At the start of the 14th century German colonists settled the abandoned area. A charter of Charles Robert of Anjou from 1320 shows that a parish priest already worked in the settlement, and in 1352 Louis I the Great allowed an annual fair to be held after St Giles's day.
Work on today's church began in the middle of the 14th century. The nave and the aisles were finished in 1415, and the tower was built between 1420 and 1427. By 1427 the building is described as a three-aisled basilica with simple arcades. In 1448 the town council started an enlargement. The royal builder Štefan of Košice, who had worked on St Elizabeth's Cathedral in Košice, added a large sanctuary, a choir, a sacristy and a gallery known as the chapel of St Catherine, later the Oratory of King Matthias. He closed the sanctuary with a new vault in 1464 and in 1465 built the remarkable stone pastophorium. Master James of Sącz made the Gothic high altar in 1466, and between 1482 and 1486 three chapels were added on the south side under the local master Urban. The tower was completed by the 1490s.
The following centuries were hard on the church. Fires hit it in 1550, 1577, 1640, 1774 and 1878, an earthquake in 1725 brought the tower down, another in 1836 cracked the walls, and in 1944 the building was damaged by bombing. After the fire of 1774 the church stood without a tower until 1898. During the Reformation, from 1527, it served mainly the German-speaking townspeople who were turning to the new faith, and it returned to Catholic use after imperial troops retook the town in 1710.
After the great fire of Easter Monday 1878, which nearly destroyed the whole town, a long restoration began under the architects Imre Steindl and later Frigyes Schulek. In the spirit of purist ideas they removed Renaissance additions and replaced them with neo-Gothic ones, completed the tower, and installed a new neo-Gothic high altar and pulpit. The work took about twenty years and gave the church the look it has today. A major repair ran from 1986 to 1999. In 2000 Pope John Paul II raised the church to the rank of minor basilica, and in the same year it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the old town of Bardejov.
Curiosities about the Basilica of St Giles
- Eleven late-Gothic winged altars made between 1460 and 1520 still stand in their original places in the church, which is considered exceptional on a European scale.
- The tower is 76 metres high and counts among the tallest church towers in Slovakia, although its present neo-Gothic top dates from the end of the 19th century.
- The bell called Urban, cast in 1584 by John of Tarnów, weighs about four tons and was one of the largest in Slovakia. It cracked in 1990 together with the bell John.
- Local names still remember the Cistercians: Monks' Stream, Cloister Meadows and a part of town called Behind Paradise.
- The altar of the Nativity is attributed to the circle of the workshop of Veit Stoss in Kraków, and the Calvary group is credited to Paul of Levoča.
- The chapel of the Virgin Mary was built in 1483 with money from Veronika, the widow of the merchant Peter Mager, so it is sometimes called her chapel.
Tours near Basilica of St Giles
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting the Basilica of St Giles
- The church stands on the northern side of the Town Hall Square; the main entrance is on the south side, framed by the chapels of the Virgin Mary, St Elizabeth and St Andrew.
- Inside, look for the winged altars, the stone pastophorium at the end of the nave, the Calvary group on the triumphal arch and the net vaults of the presbytery.
- The façade and the tower are best seen from the square; the carved stone figure of St Florian decorates the south side.
- The church is part of the UNESCO-listed old town, so it combines well with a walk through the surrounding streets. Check the current opening hours and visiting rules before you go.
- Other places on this site nearby include Zborov Castle, about 7 km away, and Šariš Castle, about 28 km away.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Basilica of St Giles is
Photos of Basilica of St Giles
Questions
Where is the Basilica of St Giles and how do you get there?
It stands on the northern side of the Town Hall Square in the centre of Bardejov, in north-eastern Slovakia. It is easy to find on foot from anywhere in the old town.
Why is the Basilica of St Giles special?
It preserves eleven late-Gothic winged altars from 1460–1520 in their original places, which is exceptional in Europe. It is also a masterpiece of late-Gothic architecture in eastern Slovakia.
How old is the Basilica of St Giles?
A first church is documented in 1247, and the present building was begun in the middle of the 14th century. The nave was finished in 1415 and the church was enlarged in the 15th century.
How tall is the tower of the Basilica of St Giles?
The tower is 76 metres high, which makes it one of the tallest church towers in Slovakia. Its present form is the result of neo-Gothic completion in the late 19th century.
Is the Basilica of St Giles a UNESCO site?
Yes, it is part of the historic centre of Bardejov, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000. In the same year it received the title of minor basilica.
What happened to the church in 1878?
A fire on Easter Monday 1878 nearly destroyed the whole town and badly damaged the church. The restoration that followed, led by Imre Steindl and Frigyes Schulek, gave it its neo-Gothic look.
Also nearby
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Šariš Castle
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Plaveč Castle
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Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist
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