History
The church was founded around 1270 as a parish church for the inhabitants of the villages around it: Vrbica, Okoličné, Ploštín, Palúdzka and Bobrovec, and at the same time became a center for the formation of a new settlement, the later city of Saint Nicholas.
The early Gothic church was built on the site of the older Romanesque church and the cemetery next to it. Later, it was rebuilt several times. In the middle of the fifteenth century it was enlarged and covered with rib vaults, and the tower, topped with upper storeys, received a late-Gothic form. At the same time, the church together with the Pongrácz castle next to it, was surrounded by a defensive wall.
From the mid-sixteenth century to the end of the 17th century, the temple belonged to the Protestants, but it was used by believers of both religions. In the years 1632-1637, preaching was given here by the eminent preacher and Protestant poet Jerzy Trzanowski. In the 18th century, the church was rebuilt in the baroque style. It then underwent a major renovation after the great fire of the city in 1883. The most extensive reconstruction of the building took place in 1940-1943. It restored the appearance of early Gothic pseudobaslica, Gothic vaults, windows and portals were exposed. Side chapels were also added. As part of the restoration work, the remains of the former defensive wall with the stalls added to it, were discovered.
Architecture
The church is orientated towards the world sides on the east-west line, three-aisle building with an extended chancel ended on three sides and fastened with buttresses. On the west side there is a high tower.
Inside the church there are three Gothic altars preserved. The main altar has wings from 1500-1510, with paintings depicting scenes from the life of the saint patron of the temple. The left altar comes from 1470-1480. Its authorship is attributed to an unknown master by the Spišske Podhradie. The second side altar is from around 1520. In the southern chapel there is a stone baptismal font from 1490, and in the church’s furnishing there is also a Gothic pastophorium.
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Website wikipedia.org, Kościół św. Mikołaja w Liptowskim Mikulaszu.