The ceremonial opening of the restored interior of the medieval church of All Saints took place in Henckovce on Tuesday. We have thus reached a significant milestone in the monument restoration of this hidden gem of the Gemer sacral architecture.
The medieval church from the second half of the 13th century, unused for years, was saved from decay by the activities of the Gothic Route Association, which has been working on its restoration together with the owner and the municipality for the last twelve years. During that time, a new roof with shingle covering and a renovated roof truss and wooden covered vestibule were installed, and the church was further drained. For the last few years, the team of restorer Peter Mlích has been working on the restoration of the interiors. The restoration work culminated in the work in the nave of the church, which has been carried out practically until now. This resulted in the discovery of unique paintings with the motif of the fight of St. George with the dragon from the first half of the 17th century. The restoration of the nave of the church was possible only thanks to the generous support of the VUB Bank Foundation, for which we are grateful.
The opening ceremony, attended by representatives of the VUB Foundation, the municipality of Henckovce and the local parish, was accompanied by a presentation on the history and restoration of the church by Michaela Kalinová, an art historian and author of the architectural and historical research of the church, and Petr Mlích, a restorer. The lecture was accompanied by a concert of a trio of musicians from the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra – Věra Rašková (flute), Věra Bartošová (piano) and Lukáš Szentkereszty (violin). The cultural evening also included the opening of site-specific exhibition by artists Kristína Kerekešová, Tereza Antolová, Ester Sabik and Daniela Majočíková.
We greatly appreciate that you joined us in this precious moment with us. We would like to thank the municipality of Henckovce, KC Kláštor, GemArt – Gemerský umelecký institút, Baretka Rožňava, PADMÉ Roastery – Coffee Roastery and Barónka B&B for their help with the organization. Special thanks to our strategic partner, the VÚB Bank Foundation, for the opportunity to realize this unique restoration.
