The Flower Valley Church

An 18th century shrine in the center of the coronation city. The three nations of Bratislava refer to this part of the city and church simply as Blumenthal. The parish of Vírávvölgy was established in 1770 in the then suburbs. The first Vírávvölgy church was built from the conversion of a grain warehouse, it was a nine-meter-long, 7.5-meter-wide, unpretentious building. The second Vírávvölgy church was built in 1784 from the generosity of the city of Bratislava. It was a twenty-meter-long, nine-meter-wide, single-nave building with a small tower on the site of the current parish building. ; The third Vírávvölgy church is the current parish church. It was built between 1885-1888 according to the plans of the chief architect Frigyes Rumpelmayer from Vienna. The construction itself was led and completed by the chief architect of Bratislava, Ignác Feigler. A huge, three-door, neo-Romanesque basilica with a transept. It is fifty-seven meters long, eighteen meters wide, thirty meters in the nave, and seventy-six meters high with a spire. The presbytery is polygonal. The architectural design and elements of the church imitate the great late Romanesque cathedrals of France. ; This church was consecrated by the prince-primate archbishop of Esztergom, János Simor, on October 28, 1888. ; The church's icon was originally placed on the neo-Gothic altar of the Basilica of St. Mary, but in 1907 the parish priest of Vírágvölgy, Evariszt Czaykovszki, had the altar rebuilt. ; History of the icon: The icon depicts the Mother of Good Counsel. It was brought from Italy by a merchant from Bratislava, József Jankó. In 1786, the Augustinian monk Gergely Rali blessed the painting, as it is a copy of the Augustinian icon of Genazanno. The painter of the copy tried to faithfully copy the original icon and preserve its artistic subtleties. ; We can see that the design of the face of this copy has much in common with the brushwork of medieval Italian painters. The size of this icon from Vírávvölgy is 45x35 cm. A bust of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus in her arms. Here, the Virgin Mary gently and charmingly bends her head over the head of the baby Jesus, while the baby Jesus puts his right arm around the Virgin's neck and smoothes his face against the Virgin's face, while with his left he grasps the hem of the Virgin's dress. Their dresses are richly decorated and edged with lace. Both are covered with a cloak: the Virgin Mary covers her head and the baby Jesus covers his shoulders. Their heads are adorned with a richly decorated gold veil. The original of the icon was found in 1464 during the restoration of the Augustinian church in Genazzano near Rome, while removing the plaster. The icons of the Mother of Good Counsel that were widespread in late medieval Europe were inspired by this ancient fresco found under the plaster. ; In Bratislava, the veneration of the Mother of Good Counsel began to spread in 1774. Its history is written by Elek Jordánszky. (A brief introduction to the icon, Bratislava, 1838.) He was eleven years old (in 1776) when he first prayed with his parents at the icon of the Mother of Good Counsel in Bratislava in the church of the Flower Valley. At that time, many people came here, proclaiming and glorifying the benefits of God that they had received through the Mother of God. ; József Batthyány, the prince-primate of Esztergom, writes in the canonical visitation of 1783: (In sacello est gratiosa Imago BMV. de bono consilio, ad cujus intercessionom complures a Deo impetrantur gratiae, prout fidelium appensa Anathemata Nr. 137 testem faciun. Unum prae ceteris Sigillo robotatum habetor testimonium, ubi coecus quidam civis Posenienais (Johannes Lehner, murariorum magister add. 26. Jul. 1777.) ad aram hujus icinis orando visum recepit suum.") The chapel contains the image of the Mother of Good Counsel, through whose intercession many have received the grace of God, as is attested by the 137 gifts of grace hung on the wall by the worshippers. There is a sealed proof here, surpassing the rest: on July 26, 1777, master mason János Lehner prayed before this image in blindness, and here he regained his sight." ; In 1823, Prince-Primate of Esztergom Sándor Rudnay also wrote in his canonica visitatio about the icon of the Virgin of Good Counsel in the church of Virágvölgy. The main feast is held on April 26th.