St. Francis Xavier's (Student) Church in Rožsňov

The mining town with a long history was founded by German-speaking mining settlers who arrived here in the 13th century to extract the ores of the area. The churches, most important public buildings, and the houses of the wealthiest citizens of the settlement were built on the main square with a rectangular floor plan of medieval origin, or on the streets leading off from it. ; The Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Francis of Xavéri - also known as the Student Church - was built in Baroque style between 1658 and 1687, on the site of the former town hall and the Protestant school, in the middle of the Main Square, next to the fire tower. The church, with a northeast-southwest axis, rectangular floor plan, with a gable roof, covered with tiles, and gables, does not have its own bell tower. ; The Jesuits began building the church in 1658. The construction work took quite a long time because the Protestant residents of Rožňov were reluctant to build this Catholic building during the Reformation, so they used low-quality, cheap materials from the ruins of the town hall. Perhaps because of this, but one fine summer day the arch fell apart. Around 1666, the construction was largely completed, but after the expulsion of the Jesuits, in 1682, the work stopped completely. After the liquidation of the Jesuit order, during the reign of Joseph II, the church was used by the Franciscans. ; From 1778 until the nationalization of the gymnasium (the beginning of the 20th century), the church was managed by the Premontrean order, who founded the gymnasium in Rožňov. The church was also visited by the students of the gymnasium as part of their studies - hence the name Student Church. ; The facade of the Baroque church, built in the second half of the 17th century, is decorated with a statue carved from lime wood placed in a niche on both sides of the window above the gate. The one on the left depicts Moses with the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, the one on the right depicts King David with a harp and scepter in his hand and a sword at his side. ; The main altar dates from the beginning of the 20th century, and the Baroque altar of St. Louis Gonzaga on the far side dates from the 18th century. A basement extends under the main nave (which is probably the cellar of the former town hall), from which a crypt was created for the superiors of the Premontre order of Rožňava. The church is currently used by the Franciscans.