In the 17th century, a Jesuit priest decided to build a sacral complex with donations from the local miners, craftsmen and town people. The Banská Štiavnica Calvary Complex represents a unique architectural and landscape complex both in its extent and content: it consists of 25 buildings including three churches and chapels decorated with invaluable paintings (no longer there). The chapels and churches are built on a steep slope of a dormant volcano called Scharffenberg (Sharp Hill). Today, the complex is by and large in a state of disrepair, with the churches locked up and the outside walls weeping in peeling plaster and paint.
Church at top of hill |
Banska Stiavnica from Calvary Hill |
Two of the three churches |
Autumnal views from Calvary Hill |