Church of Saint Stephen the King, 13th-century Romanesque church in Dolné Rudiny, Žilina, Slovakia
The Church of Saint Stephen the King is a stone building from the 13th century with painted walls that were uncovered during restoration work in the 1950s. The structure is modest in size but holds detailed religious artwork inside.
Built between 1200 and 1250, this is the oldest surviving structure in the Žilina area. The wall paintings date to around 1260 and remained hidden under plaster until they were uncovered in the 1950s.
The painted walls inside show how medieval Christians expressed their faith through images of saints and religious stories. You can see the kinds of religious art that mattered to worshippers centuries ago.
The church sits about a kilometer southwest of the city center and is reached by a marked path from Mariánske Square through the village of Dolné Rudiny. The route is straightforward and takes you directly to the entrance.
The wall paintings remained hidden for centuries under plaster, making their discovery in the 1950s a remarkable find that few other buildings in the region can match. These original decorations are a rare window into medieval artistic technique.
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