The Roman-Catholic Parish Church of the Virgin Mary′s Assumption with the highest church tower in Slovakia
The parish church is the most valuable art-historical monument in the city and is situated in the town centre. It was built in the second half of the 14th century and its architecture is still preserved partly in its condition. The church offers several interesting things:
The most clock faces
On its four sides it has 7 clock faces - four of them are in the upper part and three of them are in lower part of the tower. These are remains of the original Gothic tower, which was rebuilt in 1649. All 7 clock faces are run by a single clock mechanism. This unusual number of clocks brought local inhabitants the funny nickname of the „Blind Spiš People“.
The most beautiful and most precious parts of the church
One of the most beautiful parts of the church is the portal in the south. Of particular note is the relief which depicts the Coronation of the Virgin Mary, The Mother of God. This relief is one of the oldest sculptures in Slovakia.
The most valuable is a statuary, The Crucifiction (from 1520) - the cross, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows and St. John, which is one of the best works of Master Pavol of Levoča.The Polyptich is also rare depicting a tortured Jesus Christ and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows (from 1500). The picture had been part of the old altar of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows and made by Master Mikuláš from Levoča.
Church treasures
- A reliquary in the shape of a cross by Mikuláš Gallicus from Siena is from the 1st half of the 14th century
- Tabula Pacis crosses from the 15th century
- A monstrance from the 16th century assumed to be made by the goldsmith António
- A gilded silver chalice (25 cm high) from 1795 by Ján Kolbenhayer from Levoča
- A bronze baptistery from 1549, part of which , according to historians, is made by Master Konrád, the founder of the first Gothic bell-foundry workshop in the Spiš region
