Basilica Minor of Virgin Mary’s birth and Pauline monastery
The most valuable monument in the town is the late gothic Basilica Minor of Virgin Mary’s birth along with the Pauline monastery from the Baroque period. (It gained its title in 2008) Both buildings are registered as national cultural monuments since 1963.
The church was built on behalf of Elizabeth Báthory’s son-in-laws mother Eufrosine Drugeth for the need of Calvinist believers. During Emeric Thököly’s uprising, their activities had been slowed down. On the contrary, this period was marked by the flourishing of Protestantism. The subsequent period of recatholicization strengthened the position of the order, which meant an intense development of the monastery and the church. The fire from the beginning of the 17th century had marked both buildings. During the 18th century, Paulines carried out a massive baroque reconstruction of the church.
Interior decoration comes from Viennese painter Johann Lucas Kracker, who created a series of baroque illusory paintings. The most significant fresco from all that had been preserved is located between the main altar and pulpit. It symbolizes the birth of Virgin Mary. There is one artwork in the monastery that represents the craftsman. It’s located on the vault of the monastery staircase.
The author of the wooden decoration on the main altar but also the side altars and pulpit, is Jozef Hartman, a sculptor from Košice. The decoration of Basilica in Vranov is one of his masterpieces. The altar of St. Ján Nepomucký is a part of the early stages of his work. Pulpit, side altars, and portal decorations are most likely his work too. Hartmann presents himself as a mature late baroque artist portraying characteristic slender figures with small heads, big noses, and expressive eyes, with almost flat eyelids. All of the furniture was created in 1745. The combination of Johann Lucas Kracker’s paintings and Jozef Hartmann’s carving decorations resulted in exceptional works at the basilica and monastery. Another national cultural monument is the temple treasure from Ján Szilassy, a goldsmith from Levoča, who was a key figure of the upper Hungarian baroque goldsmith. Szilassy created a collection consisting of the monstrance, cross, ciborium, and chalice for the Basilica in Vranov.
The original monastery was built by Franciscans in the first half of the 15th century. They left the town during the reformation though. Franciscan monastery disappeared during the Anti-Habsburg rebellions. In 1672 Paulines came to the town at the invitation of Mária Esterházy. They built the monastery on the original foundations and resumed its activities. Today the monastery is used for the needs of the church.
Tombstones
Two original tombstones are located next to the side entrance of the Basilica. Romanticizing stone tombstone belongs to Ferencné Almássy (1783-1848). The next tombstone has the coat of arms of the Forgách family.
