The wooden Greek-Catholic church in the village of Krivé, dedicated to the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, is characteristic for its massiveness and simplicity.
The log structure stands on a stone foundation, which disappears on the west side. The whole building has a unified rectangular plan with a polygonal sanctuary, an extended nave and a square tower. The tower rises from the narthex, is vertically panelled and moulded, and is surmounted by a Baroque lantern with a poppy and cross. Inside there are two bells. One bell dates from 1826, the year the church was built. The temple was covered with a simple gabled roof, thus losing the three-towered appearance so typical of the surrounding buildings in the area. As a result of the shingling of the sanctuary and nave and the plating of the narthex, the temple gives the impression of a one-piece building.
In fact, it is a three-space building. The entrance part is called the hall, popularly called the granary. In the past it was a place reserved for catechumens and penitents. Symbolically, it represents purgatory or the suffering Church.
The next part is the boat. It is where the faithful participating in the ceremonies are concentrated. Symbolically, it represents the wandering Church, i.e. Christians living on earth. The third part, located behind the iconostasis - the picture wall, is called the sanctuary. It represents the kingdom of heaven - paradise and also the triumphant glorified Church in heaven. The precious iconostasis consists of icons from different time periods. In the main row in the center are carved royal doors with medallions of the Evangelists and scenes of the Annunciation. Together with the icons of St Nicholas, the Mother of God Hodigitria, Christ the Teacher and St Luke the Apostle, they date from the beginning of the 18th century. The iconostasis has a four-aisle architecture placed on four floors. It is tuned in brick-red colour. The blue framing of the frames of the Tsar's door is unusual. The columns and icon frames are gilded, the Tsar's door is decorated with bunches of grapes.
There is no similar iconostasis from this period anywhere in Slovakia in such a well-preserved condition and in such numbers. There is also a cross painted in the 17th century, an icon of the Crucifixion from the 19th century and an icon of the Passion of Christ from the 18th century. In the centre of the icon is Christ with the wounds of the Passion and around him are depicted objects related to his Passion.
Source : www.drevenchramy.sk
Photo: Henryk Bielamowicz, cergov.sk
