In the serene landscapes of Slovakia's Gemer region, a hidden gem awaits discovery: the medieval church of Kameňany. This remarkable architectural treasure, with its stunning frescoes and rich history, has captivated the hearts of local communities and heritage enthusiasts alike. In recent years, a dedicated group of volunteers and experts have embarked on a mission to revitalize this historic site, ensuring its preservation for future generations.
The small village below the slopes of one of the Slovak Karst plains, away from the main roads, was once the splendid seat of the Bubek family. In fact, it is one of the oldest villages in the entire Gemer region. Its rich history is still evidenced by the massive medieval church standing on a hill in the middle of the village, belonging to the Evangelical Church. Together with other historical buildings such as the former evangelical school and the disused rectory with its land, they form the extensive centre of the village. A road leads around the church grounds. In the vicinity there are family houses, mostly of historical character, some of them are in an unmaintained state or in a certain stage of destruction.
The cultural and artistic values of the church itself go beyond the region of Gemer and Malohont and are the most important component of the church's presentation to visitors. In 2022, the set of murals from Kameňany, together with 11 other churches from the region, was awarded the European Heritage Label. This label is awarded on the basis of the common story of several European cultures. On the Gothic Route (i.e. also in Kameňany), the story of Hungarian kings, nobility, German miners and Italian art, especially mural painting, is linked in the Middle Ages. Fragments of preserved 14th century frescoes in the interior of the church suggest that Kameňany must have been an important and wealthy place. There were rich deposits of ores in the vicinity of the village, and the mined iron was processed in smelters. In the later period Kameňany, like nearby Ratková, was a centre of craftsmen. As in most of the municipalities in Gemer, Kameňany embraced the Reformation ideas at the end of the 16th century and the church still belongs to the Evangelical Church.
The church stands on the foundations of an older building from the 13th century, it has a semicircular apse, an added south tower and a northern sacristy. Some experts assumed that the apse was originally part of a large Romanesque rotunda, but architectural and historical research has disproved this theory. The present-day appearance of the church was influenced by the rebuilding in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the nave was vaulted, a brick emporium was built and the south tower was introduced; the window openings were also changed in the spirit of Baroque and Classicism. Around 1800, a brick, detached, late Baroque bell tower was built in the church grounds to the east of the church. The interior frescoes are undoubtedly the most artistically valuable part of the church. The fresco decoration of the church dates from the middle of the 14th and 15th centuries. On the emporium on the north side of the nave we can find a fresco of St. Anne alone (Metercia) with the Virgin Mary and Jesus. On this wall there is also a rather rare scene of the Assumption of Mary Magdalene and a scene of the Adoration of the Three Kings. The monumental murals in the presbytery are presented after the restoration was completed. In the central band are the figures of the apostles, in the space behind the altar alternated with the figures of the Hungarian kings St. Ladislaus and St. Stephen and the prince St. Imrich. A particularly valuable element of the church are the so-called pastiglia, sculptural relief treatments of the haloes. The restoration also uncovered a painting in the presbytery depicting the three bishops. At the place of their eyes are visible the so-called magic pits, evidence of the ancient custom of collecting the sacred matter of the church, which was believed to have magical powers.
The restoration of the inner walls of the church has been systematically carried out by professional restorers for several years, but during our visits we were also interested in the surroundings of the church. The area has an irregular oval shape and is enclosed by an already disturbed enclosure wall, which has three historic entrances with a staircase. The church surroundings have gone through the process of being declared an independent national cultural monument. The subject of the designation is the orchard landscaping and the church cemetery (archaeological site), which, together with the evangelical church and its bell tower, form an integrated area.
The idea to carry out some landscaping and planting of greenery in cooperation with the locals was in our heads for a long time, but we managed to do it thanks to the RE: project. The church and its surroundings are, of course, a natural gravitational point in the village, but the local community, only a fraction of which regularly participates in church life nowadays, did not feel the need to take an interest in it for natural reasons. We wanted to change this approach, as without local people it is impossible to maintain a satisfactory condition of the church surroundings, even for visitors.
In planning the interventions, we consulted heritage practitioners and in the first phase of the project created the Kameňany Centre Restoration Handbook. This document served as a basis for us in our dealings with the authorities, the church owner and the municipal leadership. In addition to the design of the works in the area, we also envisaged a plan for the long-term care of the greenery and other elements around the church by the local community. After weighing up all the options, we decided to proceed with four activities for the workshop activity that brought about a significant improvement in the quality of the grounds, while offering an opportunity for volunteers and local people to connect with professionals and learn something from them. A MasterClass was held on 23-25 May 2024 right in Kamenany, with over 40 people attending. Together we have worked on the following activities:
1) Earthworks and gardening - the immediate surroundings of the church have undergone, although not significant, but nevertheless modifications. We have taken care of classic earthworks such as levelling the ground or clearing historic blocked water drains from the raised area. The design and restoration of the old garden bed was overseen and tutored by landscape architect Michaela. We used perennials suitable for a warm and dry environment, as the bed lies directly under the south wall of the church, where the summer sun shines for a large part of the day. The second intervention was to prepare the soil and sow meadow flowers in front of the church.
2) Tree care - originally, when the church was built, the landscaping around the church was probably just an area of lawn, with no tree planting. Subsequent alterations may have added trees around the inner perimeter of the site. In subsequent alterations to the church, linden trees were probably planted in front of the south and north entrances to the site. During the 19th century the original planting around the perimeter of the wall may have been similarly implemented or restored. In the recent past, the felling of diseased horse chestnut trees was carried out, so we decided to return at least one linden tree to the grounds as a traditional tree in our area. We followed the historical photos and planted the linden tree in the south-western part of the church grounds, where it used to stand. There were two other linden trees growing on the outside of the wall that needed urgent professional treatment. The intervention, together with a theoretical explanation, was demonstrated for the participants by the arborist Marek.
3) Lime plastering - the activity that was ultimately of most interest. There is a barn at the back of the old rectory next to the church which was an ideal object to try out working with lime plaster. For legislative reasons, as non-professionals, we were unable to tackle the fallen plaster of the wall, which is listed as a national monument. We learned how to slake lime using the traditional quick method without access to air and prepare lime plaster using indigenous materials and techniques. The highlight was the training of the restorer Juraj and a practical test of applying the plaster in different ways according to historical practices - according to how the plaster looked in the Gothic, Renaissance or Baroque periods.
4) Furniture renovation - we renovated wooden unused furniture that we found in the village. Specifically, it was a dilapidated door that was over a century old, which we mechanically cleaned of old paint deposits and preserved with linseed oil. After this intervention, the door found its new place in a manor house in nearby Jelšava, where our last lecturer, Vierka, also works.
Volunteers from the three countries, together with experts and the local community, had the opportunity to broaden their horizons, get to know each other's worlds and step out of their comfort zone. Despite all the differences and the language barrier, the linking of these different worlds has succeeded beyond all expectations right here in Kameňany, which has once again come alive thanks to its cultural heritage. Already during the workshop, local partnerships and mutual agreements on further assistance in local activities and the care of common property were established.