Brdárka, Lutheran Church – Gotická cesta

The first settlers of the present-day Brdárka were shepherds and the Vlach people. Located at the end of the valley under the hill named Radzim, Brdárka is known for its vast cherry orchards. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the village experienced its peak years with a population of more than 200 people.

The Lutheran Church we see today was built in 1696 on the spot of a previous wooden church. This church is a typical example of a simple rural architecture with Renaissance and baroque elements. The church was rebuilt according to the Patent of Toleration (law which gave a legal status to non-catholics) in 1786. Originally, the church had no tower: it was added only in 1850 and completed with an onion dome covered by shingles, typical for the folk baroque. The tower bells date back to 1921. The baroque altar, bordered by columns and a robust cornice, was carved in 1754; the cornice is decorated with heads of angels, and an extension enriched with a gold plated acanthus ornamentation. The altar contains the characteristic Lutheran depiction of the resurrection: above the painting of the Last Supper on the predella we find the retable with the statue of Crucified Christ and the depiction of the Resurrection on the crowning. From the same period originates the pulpit, with a polygonal sill decorated with carved gilded reliefs: the busts of Jesus and the four Evangelists, as well as the abat-voix, which is topped by the statue of an angel. The church experienced several modifications in 1749, when a wooden matroneum on the carved columns was created. A baroque positive organ from 1762 is placed on this matroneum, a work by Daniel Wallachy from Spišská Sobota, which went through a complete restoration in 2017, partly financed by The Gothic Route. It is the only entirely preserved organ left by Master Wallachy. The temple floors are covered with big natural quarry stones.

A typical element of Lutheran churches in Gemer is a wooden or masonry matroneum used to enlarge the interior space. It was usually reserved for the men or the youth, while the long benches were reserved for the women. Its painted parapets are one of the most interesting parts of the church decoration. Most of the paintings were vegetal ornaments or illusory marbling. The gallery of in Brdárka is unique – besides the ornamentation, we can find here also depictions of Biblical scenes and portraits. The scene in the middle depicts Emperor Joseph II as a sign of gratitude for the Patent of Toleration. On the other six images, Biblical motifs are depicted: The Garden of Eden, the creation of Adam, the prophet Elijah near the stream of Kerith, Elijah taken to heaven in a chariot of fire, King David in the Temple and Christ with Moses and Aaron and the Evangelists in the Temple. The cartouche on the eastern side of the matroneum refers to the father of Slovak scientist Šafárik. It contains a Slovak inscription: With God‘s help, this matroneum is renewed during the pastorhood of Mr. Pavel Šafáry, during the mayorhood of a renowned man, Martin Novák, and his vice-mayor Jan Smerek Kohút. 1826 in the days of May.

Recently, the roof underwent reconstruction thanks to the support of the Ministry of culture of SR. Civic association Gothic Route in cooperation with Central European Foundation participated in co-financing of the restoration of the altar. The Association for the rescue of the Church in Brdárka was established by the locals for taking care of the spiritual, cultural and material aspects of the church. The church is nowadays well-known for many cultural events organized here, predominantly organ concerts on its famous historic organ.