The Tatra Temple of Ice

The basilica at Hrebienok was built from 2,000 ice blocks weighing250 metric tons. This means that more ice was used in its construction than ever before in the 14-year history of the The Tatra Temple of Ice . Under the direction of lead artist Adam Bakoš, 40 sculptors and assistants from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Germany worked on the project. The structure’s highest point reaches nearly 11 meters.

Right at the entrance, on the right-hand side, visitors are greeted by the Franciscan greeting “Pax et bonum”—“Peace and Good”—carved into the ice. It is the same greeting St. Francis used to greet everyone he met. The path then runs along the side of the basilica, where its massive walls stand out, topped by a dome and a tower.

From the front, a view opens up of the monumental facade crowned with statues. In the actual basilica, it is crowned by a gilded statue of Our Lady of the Angels. On the left side, visitors will find an ice nativity scene, a reminder of Christmas 1223, when Francis first set up a manger in Greccio. Nearby, a portrait of St. Francis is carved into the ice, as if he were watching his own story unfold.

The most precious site is hidden in the rear of the building. Here stands the tiny Porziuncola, the heart of the entire basilica and the cradle of the Franciscans. Inside, its precious altarpiece is also crafted from ice and colorful sculptures. The original was painted by Ilario da Viterbo in 1393 and depicts the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary and the story of the Porziuncola indulgences, which Francis obtained for all pilgrims. Next to the Porziuncola stands the Cross of Damian, which, according to tradition, spoke to Francis. You can walk all the way around the entire ice basilica and explore it from every angle.

Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli – a church within a church

This ice structure is inspired by the monumental basilica near the Italian city of Assisi. The original church was commissioned by Pope Pius V in 1569, when the small chapel at its center could no longer accommodate the crowds of pilgrims. Construction, based on a design by architect Galeazzo Alessi, took more than a hundred years. With a length of 126 meters and a dome 75 meters high, the basilica is one of the largest churches in the Christian world. Together with Assisi, it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Now you have the opportunity to admire its ice sculpture at Hrebienok.

Porziuncola – The Cradle of the Franciscans

This small stone church, measuring just 4 × 7 meters, dates back to the 10th–11th centuries. St. Francis found it abandoned and repaired it with his own hands. It was here that he understood his calling, gathered his first brothers, and died in 1226. To this day, the Porziuncola stands directly beneath the dome of the basilica as a symbol of humility, from which one of Europe’s greatest spiritual legacies grew.

The Cross of San Damiano

A painted icon from the 12th century hung in the dilapidated little church of San Damiano near Assisi. According to tradition, while the young Francis was praying there, Christ spoke to him from the cross, saying, “Go, Francis, repair my house.” That moment changed his life. The original cross now hangs in the Basilica of Saint Clare in Assisi.

The First Nativity Scene

The tradition of nativity scenes began with St. Francis. On Christmas Eve in 1223, he set up a manger filled with hay in a cave in Greccio, Italy, and brought an ox and a donkey to it. From that night, a tradition was born that has spread throughout the world—a tradition to which the nativity scene made of Tatra ice also belongs.

Pax et bonum – Peace and Goodness

This Latin greeting, carved into the ice, has been associated with the Franciscans for eight centuries. It stems from the words of St. Francis himself, who wrote in his Testament that the Lord revealed to him the greeting, “May the Lord give you peace.” To this day, the Franciscans use it to greet everyone they meet. We also extend this wish for peace and all that is good to all visitors to the cathedral.

Portrait of Saint Francis

Carved into the ice is the likeness of Saint Francis, the son of a wealthy merchant from Assisi, who renounced his wealth and chose a life of poverty. He was canonized just two years after his death. He is the founder of the Franciscans, the patron saint of Italy, and, since 1979, also the patron saint of ecology.

• 14th annual
• 250 metric tons of ice—the most in the arena’s history
• 2,000 ice blocks
• 25 m dome diameter
• Nearly 11 m at the structure’s highest point
• Over a month of preparatory and sculpting work
• 40 sculptors and assistants from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Germany
• Lead artist: Adam Bakoš

Source: Mons. Prof. ThDr. PaedDr. SSLic. František Trstenský, PhD.
nd Mgr. Lukáš Brodanský