St. George’s Church, Spišská Sobota

The gems are the town''s mediaeval centre and four former Saxon towns – once its neighbours, by now they have merged with the main city: Matejovce (Mateóc), Veľka (Felka), Straže pod Tatrami (Strazsa) and Spišska Sobota (Szepesszombat). These five small towns have shared a history. Their population, Saxons, Slovaks and Hungarians, have every reason to be proud of their past and their treasures. The most valuable asset of  Spišska Sobota is its Roman Catholic church and the adjacent Renaissance bell tower. Consecrated in the name and on the day of St. George, the church is the oldest building of the city, standing on its spindle shaped main square which is trimmed with old houses. Its name, that of its patron saint, St. George, comes from the German name of the city – Georgenberg. In the early Middle Ages, border cities, built on strategic, easy-to-defend spots such as hills, were often named after legendary military saints.