Calvary in Oščadnica was built by believers from Oščadnica as gratitude for the fact that all the inhabitants survived the World War II and that no tragedy hit the village in spite of fierce battles fought for a whole month in Veľká Rača in 1945.
The land under Calvary was given for free by the co-owners. The construction of Calvary started in 1946 with preparation work, such as transportation of materials and excavation of pathways.
The construction itself started in the spring of 1947. Calvary was designed by Anton Medrický, an architect, and the construction was made by Rudolf Štens, a bricklayer master. Individual reliefs depicting the Stations of the Cross were made by “Chrámové družstvo”, an association in Pelhřimov. Jozef Pazdera, a folk artist born in Oščadnica, is the creator of the 14th Station. The Calvary was built under Štefan Krautman, a priest, dean and honorary canon. Martin Bernát, a notary from Oščadnica, also contributed in a significant way. However, Oščadnica would never have had such a spectacular Calvary without the help of people and without their selfless work at the expense of their spare time. The Kysuce pilgrimage of believers to the Calvary, the only one in our region, has been held regularly on Sunday after the holy day of the Assumption of Virgin Mary on 15 August for several decades. Not only people from Kysuce, but believers from around Slovakia arrive for the pilgrimage. For more than 200 years, Oščadnica has also been hosting the traditional Oščadnica Feast (Oščadnické hody) on the same day.
Church above the Calvary was also built at the request of believers from Oščadnica. The church was built in November 1947, and in June 1948 the interior of the church was completed. An architect, Anton Medrický gifted a gilded picture of Virgin Mary with Jesus to the Church. The Church above Calvary had been built exclusively from offerings by selfless parishioners, inhabitants, workers and brothers and sisters of Oščadnica living in the USA. Thanks goes also to Oščadnica voluntary fire brigade which had been supplying water from a brook to the church during the time of construction and thus helped and made the construction work much easier. Three large wooden crosses stand in front of the church. The cross in the middle is the tallest. The Calvary, the crosses and the Church above the Calvary were consecrated on 15 August 1948. Approximately 20 thousand pilgrims were present.
Contact:
Farnosť Oščadnica, +421 (0)41 438 21 42 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.oscadnica.fara.sk
Access: Calvary and the Church are located in the centre of Oščadnica.
Photos:
https://www.regionkysuce.sk/en/attractions-of-the-region/cultural-historical/286-church-and-calvary-in-oscadnica#sigProId8752b01685
