Basilica of St Giles

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Basilica of St Giles in Bardejov, Slovakia, is a Gothic sacral building, which is situated in the northern part of the Town-Hall square (in Slovak Radničné námestie). Bardejov is located in the larger area of town Prešov in the region called Šariš.

Around 1206, Cistercian monks of Polish Koprzywnica established a monastery that was eventually dedicated and named after Saint Giles. In the 13th century, The Royal Charter of King Bela IV was the first to mention the church in local documents.^[1] The temple is also mentioned by Karol's son and successor, Louis I of Hungary. The construction of the temple, that exists today, began in the mid-14th century when German colonists settled the territory.

In 1427, the church is documented as having a three-aisled basilica with simple arcades. Sculptures on the altar of St Anna dating back to 1390–1400 may serve as proof that an earlier temple was indeed constructed in the 13th century.

The rebuilding and expansion of the temple began in 1448. The royal builder, Štefán from Košice constructed the base of the sanctuary, the choir, the sacristy, and the tribune, which is also known as the Chapel of St Catherine. King Matthias's Oratory carried on the building. The construction of the sanctuary ended with a new vaulting in 1464 and a year later, he built the new presbytery with the unique stone pastophorium.

In 1466, Master James of the Sacz made a Gothic main altar. The only sculpture of St Giles that remained from the original temple is located in the chapel of the Virgin Mary. In this period, a bronze baptistery was also constructed.

During 1482–86, three chapels were built in the southern part: St Elizabeth, St Andrew and the Virgin Mary. The original vault in the chapel of St Andrew is preserved. In 1486 the first bell, Jonh (Jan), was made. In 1584 bell founder, John from the Polish town, Tarnów made one of the largest bells in Slovakia for the church. It weighs 4 tons and is named, "Urban".

The church is a masterpiece of east Slovak late-Gothic architecture and its large-scale spatial conception, as well as in its detail, differentiate the basilica. For example, some of the building's vaults were similar to the vault systems of Peter Parler.

In 1521, Masters John Kraus and John Emerici decorated the first floor of the tower's exterior, particularly its south side, with a fresco of St. Stephen, the first Hungarian king. Italian Masters, Louis and Bernard Pel of Lugano remodeled the south facade in Renaissance style in 1564. They reconstructed three chapels and a portal to create a unified architectural complex.

Disasters such as fires, earthquakes, bombings, and architectural collapses have plagued the basilica throughout the centuries. The extensive reconstruction of the church began after a fire in which the entire city nearly burned down on Easter Monday, 1878.^[1] The reconstruction was led by architects, Imre Steindl and Frederick Schmulek. The interior was equipped with a Neo-Gothic altar and pulpit as well as the facade as one sees today. The facade took 20 years to rebuild.

Other architectural improvements were made in the 20th century. In 1990, the two church bells, "Urban" and "John" burst. At the same time, the church was renamed, "basilica", the bell "John" was replaced by a new bell, "Joseph", weighing 700 kg.

Pope John Paul II declared the church a basilica minor on 23 November 2000 in the Apostolic letter Consueverunt Romani Pontifices.