Today as a bridge to tomorrow – The Church of Dominicans in Košice – facade restoration


Basic information

  • Project Number: CLT01013
  • Project Title: Today as a bridge to tomorrow – The Church of Dominicans in Košice – facade restoration
  • Program: Culture
  • Region of the Project Implementation: Košický
  • District of the Project Implementation: Košice I
  • Estimated Date of Project Completion: 30.04.2024
  • Project Promoter: Dominican Convent
  • Website of the project: www.dominikanigrant.sk
  • Status: Active

Funding

  • Project Grant Approved: 834 139 €

Information in a nutshell

The Dominican church in Košice was built around 1290 by the Dominican monks order. The first written reference of it goes back to 1303. There was a monastery and, in the 14th century, a school and well known illuminating workshop of global importance established at the church. After a big fire in 1556, the church was in a derelict condition, however, its repair in 1699 partially transformed it into a Baroque temple. In 1846 it burned down for the second time and undertook a series of reconstruction in the following 50 years. The Dominican church is the oldest temple in the city and the oldest preserved object in Košice. Its tower is 8 metres taller than the tower at the St. Elisabeth Cathedral and, therefore, the Dominican church is the tallest historical building in Košice. Tourists are attracted to the church thanks to its underground world, extensive cellars and crypts under the Dominican square.

Project description

The subject of the project is the implementation of restoration work on the west side of the polygonal closure of the sanctuary, on the south and east side of the facade of the Dominican Church in Košice. Restoration work also includes the renovation of the cinema in the Veritas Cultural Center, which is an organic part of the Dominican Church. The Lexmann cinema will be equipped with a modern viewpoint and projection technology. The creation of a tourist information office in Veritas will create improved conditions and services for visitors and tourists to the Dominican Church. The tourist guides, in cooperation with the project partner, will be professionally prepared and the intangible cultural heritage of our grandparents - the social bridge - will be made available to the general public. The church will also organize professional conferences focused on the life and historical legacy of Jozef Mikuláš Lexmann, media literacy, and the prevention of misinformation. These will be prepared, in terms of content and methodology, in cooperation with a Norwegian partner. Cultural and social events will be organized there for the general public.

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