The document confirming the fact that there was a church at Hrádek dates back to 1261 - it is an epitaph located in the nave of the church. Evidence from the 17th century are the bells in the church tower. The first parish priests working in the parish are also known, and there was also a parish building under Hrádek. However, there is no record of the consecration of the church or of the founding of the rectory. There were even doubts about the patron saint of the church, until about 1730, when it was demonstrably already dedicated to St. Stephen.
The Church of St. Stephen of Hungary in Solivar ceased to be used as a parish church in 1757. At the end of the 18th century it was critical condition one of the perimeter walls has been deflected and cracks have appeared in the ceiling. An architect from Košice was called in to submit a proposal for the modification of the cracked church wall. As they kept getting bigger, the church was closed for safety reasons. It was even to be demolished, leaving only the presbytery as a pilgrimage chapel.
In spite of all the difficulties and many liquidation efforts, the Church of St. Stephen of Hungary on Solivar still stands today. It was repaired in 1830, 1879, 1913, 1949 and 1981.
The Church of St. Stephen of Hungary in Solivar is basically a one-nave building, which can accommodate about 600 worshippers. Main altar was built from the donations of the faithful to honor the saint of this church. The altarpiece shows the offering of the crown to the Virgin Mary. Above it is a sculpture of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The entire altarpiece is finished with the symbol of the Holy Trinity. On the green and white altar there are also statues of the saints St. Vojtěch, St. Elisabeth, Ladislav, Imrich, Margit and Sebastian.
There are also two side altars in the nave, one depicting St. Imrich and the other depicting Christ crucified. Rococo pulpit is also in a combination of green and white and dates from the first half of the 18th century.
The bells deserve special attention. Because of their alleged value and extreme rarity, they were left in the church during the war and were not used for war purposes. Although they are the oldest in the vicinity, they do not show any special or exceptional characteristics - neither in sound nor in ornamentation.
Currently the church is in a disastrous condition and is out of service. After a preliminary inspection, the structural engineer has declared that it is not possible to hold services there. Despite this, the annual indulgence on the feast of St. Stephen, King of Hungary.
Source: Solivar yesterday and today
Cover photo: Wikipedia - by Jozef Kotulič - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://lnk.sk/tCGT
