Chapel of St. Barbara in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The beginning of the Barbora Way belongs to the Chapel of St. Barbara in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is here that you will see the altar with St. Barbara, which was created in the workshop of the well-known carver Master Paul of Levoča. In the centre of the altar is the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus, on the right is St. Barbara, and on the left is St. Hieronymus. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a dominant feature of the castle area of Banská Bystrica. It was built in the middle of the thirteenth century on the foundations of a Romanesque basilica with a square sanctuary. After a fire in 1500 it was rebuilt thanks to the support of the richest townsmen of Banská Bystrica, who were engaged in ore mining. Since then, the interior and exterior of the church have undergone several more reconstructions. Nowadays, a sculpture called "Christ on the Mount of Olives" can be seen next to the main entrance of the church. The sculpture is the first stop of the longest Stations of the Cross in Slovakia, which is up to 11 kilometres long! This Way of the Cross ends in the village of Špania Dolina. It is interesting because it has only 8 stops and was built by the Jesuits.