Welcome to the articulated wooden church of the Evangelic Lutheran Church of Slovakia in Svätý Kríž.
 Articulated churches form a separate group in the history of wooden architecture in Slovakia. They are a distinct modification of that branch of Protestant architecture which began to develop in Prussian Silesia following the example of the church in Sweidnitz and gradually spread into the neighbouring Lutheran - orientated regions. They are different from the Catholic wooden churches dating from the Middle Ages, and also from the characteristic group of Orthodox churches in East Slovakia. Their style of construction shows that they grew from brick architecture.


The characteristic they have in common is the central ground - plan, most freguently in the shape of a Greek cross. The crossed aisles are vaulted with a barrel vault, the central sguare having a vault of cupola character. This imposing vault, together with the pictorially treated choirs, defines the character of a typically Lutheran church interior. The choice of material and technigues used in the construction of these churches was not determined by primary conditions laid down by the natural development of material culture, but by the anti - Reformation neasures taken by those in power. In 1678 the absolutist regime of the Habsburgs, intolerant towards non - catholic faiths, caused a great uprising, which was supported by the Turks, and Emperor Leopold I. was forced to give in. In 1681 he called an assemply in Šopron, at which - among other things - he repealed his extremely anit - Reformation decrees of 1667 and 1670. In accordance with the law - articles XXV. - XXVI., passed by the Šopron Assembly - the Hungarian Protestants could build 38 places of worship. The articles laid down that they should be built on the outskirts of the villages and outside the town walls. Hard materials could not be used in their construction, the churches were not allowed to have towers or bells and their main entrances had to be situated on the side facing away from the read. These wooden evangelical places of worship, built in accordance with the above - mentioned legal clauses took their place in history as articulated churches. Today 5 such churches exsist in Slovakia. In Liptov region there are two such churches. One in Hybe, and the other in Paludza.
  The original church was built in 1693 in the village of Paludza. During this time the number of Lutherans in the region continued to increase making it necessary to built a larger church.
  In march 1774 a contract was signed by a local carpenter named Jozef Lange to start construction on a larger church. The church was finished in november 1774. This is very guick considering Mr. Lange did not have a plan for the contruction of the church before he started. He didn´t know to read and write, his previous knowledge of carpentry was what helped him.

The area of the church is 1150 sguare meters. The length of the church is 43 meters, including the steeple. The church has 12 doors, 72 windows. The Barogue Hiter of the Holly Trinity is remarkable and surrounding the picture on the beatiful wooden oltar is polychrome. The oltar was renoveted in 1763.
The base of the pulpit is a sculpture of an angel. The pulpit was built by a carpenter named Lerch. On the pulpit are other paintings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The colomns on the pulpit are characteristic of speech sculping dating from 17 th. And 18 th. century.
The name of the person who made that is unknown. The organ was built by an organ maker named Martin Podkonický from B. Bystrica in 1754. The chandeler was made in 1780 with glass from the city of Venezia.
Around the balconies are biblical paintings. Between each biblical painting are paintings of flowers or animals. The name of the artist is unknown.
The steeple was built in 1781 and is 19 meters hight. The steeple had three bells dating from the end of the 18 th. century, but in the first world war they were destroyed. The new bells are from 1921 - 1922. The names of the bells are BELIEVE, LOVE and HOPE.
The articulated church is a product of the anti - reformation political situacion during its time of contruction. The church is a symbol of the difficult history of the Slovak nation to bring itself to the level of other European nations. It is also a symbol of the struggle in the former Hungarian nation between Protestants and catholics during this time in history.
The threat to the existence of the building in connection with the creation of a reservoir near Liptovská Mara aroused the latent interest of the Slovak public in this precious memorial and provoked a lively discussion about the possiblities of saving it. After the consideration of various alternatives an appropriate solution was found: the church will be transferred to neighbouring Svätý Kríž, it will therefore remain within the old territorial limits of Paludza, this ensuring its safety while preserving the authenticity of the regional environment.
In 1974 the process of moving the church started. On 22. august 1982 close to 10 000 people attended the conseceration of the church in its new location. The people included members of the church and many guest. Though the church has been moved from its original location, it still serves the purpose as Lutheran church for the former members in Paludza.