THE TRADITION of wooden churches in Slovakia goes far back into history. It is known that Celts and Slavs constructed their religious buildings from wood. After Christianity came to this region, churches made of stone became more common. So even though the region was rich in wood resources, churches began to be constructed of stone as early as the Great Moravian period. Wooden churches were built even later because their construction was cheaper and simpler. But they were more prone to quick destruction as well, and that is why so few of them are preserved.
The largest group of wooden churches is in eastern Slovakia but only a few of them still stand at their original sites. The church of St Nicolaus, the Bishop of Zboj, pictured in this postcard, was moved in 1966 to the open-air museum in Bardejov.
This log church with three naves dates back to 1706 and like many other sacred buildings of that time has Baroque architectural features. This postcard from the early 1920s was made by famous Czech photographer Karol Plicka.
