Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The dominant building in the town's main square is the parish church, built in 1584-85. Originally a simple late Gothic building, it was later rebuilt several times. It suffered great damage during the Bocskay Uprising and was almost completely renovated in 1612. Péter Pázmány (Nagyvárad, 4 October 1570 – Bratislava, 19 March 1637) is credited with having it renovated in 1633. It was also rebuilt during the Turkish occupation and served as a mosque. In 1693, Archbishop György Széchényi (Szécsény, 1603 or 1605/1606 – Bratislava, 18 February 1695) had the church repaired. His coat of arms can still be seen above the door leading to the nave of the church, with the inscription: "György Széchényi, Archbishop of Esztergom 1639". In 1787, Archbishop József Batthyány (Vienna, January 30, 1727 - Bratislava, October 23, 1799) had the church renovated. The inscription above the portal can still be read today: "Et tandem tristes carroll nost fata per ignes tota cints tali sto reparata stav 1811". In 1810, the building and its furnishings were destroyed by fire. Only part of the sacristy and the eternal flame of the sanctuary survived. The church bore the classicizing stylistic features of the late Baroque era until 1867. In that year, the tower was rebuilt, because it was knocked down by a storm on August 8, 1867. It was rebuilt according to the plans of architect József Lippert (Arad (Arad County), January 21, 1826 – Gutenstein, (Lower Austria), August 15, 1902), and Archbishop János Simor (Székesfehérvár, August 23, 1813 – Esztergom, January 23, 1891) also participated in the works. The last, fundamental reconstruction of the church took place in 1877, when it took on a neoclassical character. The plaque above the entrance also refers to this. The arched shape of the windows dates from this time. The 97-meter-high tower of the church houses four bells. The 851-kilogram bell, which rings at noon, was made in the foundry of the Moravian city of Olomouc in 1984 from donations from the faithful. In recent years, the facades, roof and tower covering have been repaired. The floor inside the sanctuary was renovated in 1996.