Journal ARS 31 (1998) 1-3

Barbara BALÁŽOVÁ

Oltár Nanebovzatia Panny Márie bývalého farského kostola v Kremnici
[Altar of Assumption of Virgin of the Former Parish Church in the Town of Kremnica]

(Summary)

Former Parish Church of Blessed Virgin in Kremnica is regarded as very significant masterpiece of Slovak Baroque Art. Instead of this fact up to now there has not been devoted a complex study to it. The Parish Church was demolished in 1880 and therefore I had to work only with information in archives of Kremnica and Banska Bystrica. Remains of the decoration as sculptures and pictures – works of Dionysius Staneti (1710 - 1767) and Anton Schmidt (1706 - 1773) – have not been put in order yet.

The complex late baroque rebuilding started after 1755 and the interior decoration was made in the 60s years of the 18th Century. Author of the iconography conception of the interior including fresco paintings and altar's pictures was Anton Schmidt from Banska Stiavnica. Sculptural decoration was carved by Dionysius Staneti after Schmidt's drawings. It consisted of the capital altar dedicated to Assumption of Virgin and six lateral altars. On the left side the first altar was consecrated to Virgin as Our Lord's mother, the second was the altar of Saint Cross and the third altar was consecrated to Saint Anne. On the right side the first was the altar of Saint John of Nepomuk, the second was the altar of Saint Joseph and the last was the altar consecrated to Saint Antony of Padua. On the church's decoration participated also other craftsmen – Jacob Mayer, Jacob Thurmer, Balthasar Ferdig and Stephan Völtsey. After baroque rebuilding the Parish Church of Assumption of Virgin in Kremnica was consecrated on the 16th August of 1767 by Anton Revai.

On the base of the research in archives in Kremnica I could identify all pictures of Anton Schmidt which now it's possible to find in the church of Saint Francis in Kremnica from 1880.

The destiny of sculptures was more complicated. After 1880 they were sold out to different sides. Some of them stay in Kremnica till 80s years of the 20th Century and now they are situated in the Museum of coins and medals in Kremnica. Some sculptures were lent by the Kremnica municipality to Magyar Iparmuveszeti Muzeum in the 1897, now in Magyar Nemzeti Galeria in Budapest. Remains of sculptural decoration were sold out in 1907 to the earl Stephan Ambrozy who installed them in his castle in Tesarske Mlynany. After 1948 some of them were returned to Kremnica but two statues Saint Ambrosius and Saint Augustinus - are now in Parish Church in Tesarske Mlynany. From Ambrozy's collection were moved four statues to the Slovak National Museum in Martin and later to the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava.

This very rich complex of works is still waiting for the complete study and pushing into the Slovak and European Baroque Art.