During the weekend of 26-28 May 2023, a unique cultural and spiritual festival Spišský Jeruzalem will take place in the area of Spišský Jeruzalem, Spišská Kapitula and the town of Spišské Podhradie. The event celebrates its tenth jubilee year.
The festival will offer two concerts of church music performed by renowned choirs from the Košice and Prešov regions. The main programme will also include two theatre productions, dramatization of the life of a saint and puppet theatre, aimed at adult and child audiences.
The highlight of Saturday's programme will be a concert of the singer Katka Koščová and the dominating feature of the Sunday offer is the concert Pressburger Klezmer Bend, world music bands in the style of Jewish music. New this year will be a moderated discussion on the theme of wandering with invited guests and the public.
There will also be traditional programmeswhich are an essential part of this festival: Stations of the Cross, scenic reenactments of Passiontide events, Masses and field trips to natural and cultural sites.
"In particular, we have expanded the range of accompanying activities so that the needs of child visitors and their parents could enjoy the festival programme undisturbed. The creative stop will offer many thematically oriented creative and movement activities, face painting and a book exchange", Monika Tkáčová from the Spišská Nová Ves Cultural Centre and Library presented other interesting elements of the programme.
In addition to craft products, the small craft market will also offer the opportunity to refresh yourself in castle kitchen. It will not be missing train "Spišiačik" and "Hanička". Visitors will also be able to see Spiš Jerusalem from horse-drawn carriage, take a ride on the children's cable car, see the city's exhibition halls or visit the opening. There will also be guided tour of the seminary and an opportunity for a conversation on a spiritual topic.
In addition to the cultural programme, visitors will have the opportunity to discover historical monuments, natural beauty, but also to find their own space to relax, stop and reflect, or simply time for themselves and their loved ones.
Spiš Jerusalem is a calvary located in the immediate vicinity of the Spišská Kapitula. It was created between 1666 and 1675 under the influence of Jesuit spirituality and under the guidance of the then Prepost of Spiš, Juraj Báršoň (Bársony). It is a typologically unique architectural monument, a baroque sacral landscape, which depicts the ancient city of Jerusalem in the landscape using the Via dolorosa stops. Here we find the Last Supper (St. Martin's Cathedral), Herod's Palace (Chapel of St. Rosalie), Fortress Antonia (Chapel of St. Francis Xavier) and Golgotha with the Holy Sepulchre (Chapel of the Holy Cross at Grey Chin). The site is also precious for its natural features and, as part of the Spišskopodhrad Travertines, it is protected by both monument laws and nature protection legislation.
Festival organisers are the Košice Self-Governing Region, the Prešov Self-Governing Region, the Bishopric of Spiš, the Town of Spišské Podhradie, the 64th Scout Choir of Štefan Klubert in Levoča and the Spiš Cultural Centre and Library in Spišská Nová Ves as the main programme coordinator.
Source: 21 April 2023, Monika Tkáčová, Spiš Cultural Centre and Library in SNV
