Dražovský Church, also known as the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, is one of the oldest sacred monuments in Slovakia
Dražovský Church was built in the 12th century, allegedly standing in the middle of a fortified settlement. It is a single-nave structure with a semicircular apse, characterized as a Romanesque gallery chapel. The nave has a flat ceiling and a two-story gallery on the western side. The facades are smooth, with a tower in the center of the façade, topped with a masonry pyramidal roof. Originally, this area belonged to the Zobor Monastery. A canonical visitation from 1732 indicates that the church had 2 choirs, one under the tower and the other on the epistle side, with a pulpit on the wall. Originally, statues of St. Michael, Rochus, Rosalia, Sebastian, and an image of the Virgin Mary were placed on the altar.
In the 12th to 13th centuries, the church came under the administration of the Zobor Monastery, which likely relates to the addition to the southern wall of the church, which could have served as a hermitage. This addition covered the original windows, so new (one or two) higher windows were added. One, now bricked up, is visible inside on the left above the entrance. The addition disappeared sometime in the 15th century, and the original windows were then restored.
The church became an independent parish in 1787. An exploratory excavation by the Slovak Museum in 1947–1948 uncovered 55 graves around the church, some of which were covered with stones. The inventory of the graves included coins, ornaments, and clothing fragments. The cemetery represents burials from the 11th to 17th centuries. The church is a monument of the early Middle Ages and the oldest Romanesque site in the Nitra district. The building is marked by a bronze plaque with a brief description of the cultural monument.
The church was later administratively taken over by the Nitra bishopric. In 1803, a new church was built in the village, rendering the church less significant, and only occasional masses were held there. The fate of the church was threatened when a railway line began to be built, and stones were extracted from the hill on which it stood. The church was supposed to fall victim to the excavation, but protests from local residents prevented that.
St. Michael’s Church stands on a high promontory of the Tríbeč Mountains, above the village of Dražovce. Under favorable conditions, you can observe the entire city of Nitra and its surroundings from it. It is also very visible from Nitra Castle.
In Dražovce, Pavel Dvořák filmed the story called Meluzína from the cycle Traces of Ancient Past (1st part, 2nd part).
The remarkable location of the church has been used several times by filmmakers. Some scenes of the famous historical film by F. Vláčil, Markéta Lazarová, were shot near the church, as well as films such as Adam Šangala, Javor and Juliana, the film Pacho, or Láska na vlásku.
To get to the church and where to park? Easy access to the church leads from the village of Dražovce near Nitra. Following the green tourist sign, walk up for about 30 minutes. There are hiking trails leading to it from Mount Zobor (takes about 1 hour) or from the village of Podhorany (about 2:20 h) on foot or by bicycle.