Plešivec, Church of the Reformed Church

The one-nave church, originally dedicated to St. George, belongs to the local congregation of the Reformed Christian Church today. The church in Plešivec was first mentioned in 1314. At the beginning of the 15th century, a Late Gothic chapel was added to the north wall of the church, following the model of the Spiš funeral chapels. However, only Ladislaus Bubek, who died in the early years of the 15th century, was buried in the burial chapel. When the Turks attacked Plešivec in 1558, they destroyed and burnt the church, which then stood for almost 60 years  as a ruin with collapsed vaults and no roof. In the first half of the 17th century, the ruin was repaired by Reformed believers. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that the north chapel was vaulted and the epitaph (tombstone) of Ladislaus Bubek was discovered.

The wall paintings of the Plešivec church are among the most important artefacts of 14th century Transalpine wall painting, which is confirmed by the discovery of further fragments of paintings on the north wall of the presbytery in 2009.

Draw your attention to these wall paintings

The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple

The wall painting is one of the best preserved scenes of the decoration of the north wall of the presbytery in the upper band. It is part of a chronological cycle depicting the life of Jesus Christ, which begins with the Annunciation, followed by the Presentation in the Temple, then the Baptism of Christ, the Arrival in Jerusalem, the Washing of the Feet, Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ before Pilate, the Scourging and Carrying of the Cross, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion (on the south wall). The cycle of scenes from the life of Christ was only unveiled between 2011 and 2014.

Three Marys under the Cross

Part of the Calvary scene is depicted in a wall painting on the south wall of the presbytery entitled Three Marys under the Cross (the mother of Jesus, Mary of Cleophas and Mary Magdalene). The fresco was restored in the 1970s. The sculptural haloes attract attention. The method of creating the haloes using wooden pegs above the heads is typical of Padua, Italy, and the rare fresco painting by Giotto in the Basilica of St. Anthony in the chapel of the Scrovenigo family. It may have served as inspiration for George Bubek during his diplomatic visits to Italy.

The Baptism of Christ

The wall painting probably from the 14th century is part of the chronological cycle of the life of Jesus Christ on the north wall of the presbytery of the church. It is one of the best-preserved frescoes by Italian masters, which were only unveiled between 2011 and 2014.