In addition to natural beauty, Mount Zobor is also full of monuments with a religious theme. If you are one of their admirers, you will find yourself in Nitra. Our hotel is an excellent starting point to many sacral monuments with a long and rich history.
Zobor Monastery
So we will start with one of the most important monuments, which was located on the western slope of Zobor under Svorad spring. Zoborsky monastery, or otherwise the Benedictine monastery of St. Hypolita is also historically the oldest known monastery in Slovakia. In the past, it fulfilled an important spiritual, public and cultural role. The oldest and most valuable documents from our territory are also attached to it - Zoborsk documents. In 1471, the monastery was looted and destroyed by Polish troops. Only over 200 years later was a new one built in its place Kamaldulsky Monastery of St. Jozef. It, too, earned its first place - it was home to the first hospital and pharmacy in Slovakia. It was abolished in 1782 by the decision of Emperor Jozef II. In 1953, the area was taken over by the health department and a medical institution was established here - the Specialized Hospital of St. Svorada, in the area of which there are also the remains of the monastery of St. Jozef. You can reach this place from our hotel by bus number 25 or 1 from the Turistická stop in about 15 minutes.
Zobor cemetery
In a small park near the former Zobor Monastery, on the site where the Specialized Hospital of St. Svorada is a small historical Zobor cemetery. There are approximately 14 recognizable grave sites with crosses with cast-iron tablets. The inscriptions on them are in Slovak, Hungarian and one is even in German. Buried here is Alexander Derra de Moroda, probably a 14-year-old German boy of noble origin. However, why he is buried here is not known. Verbists and patients who succumbed to illness in the medical boarding house are buried here - mostly men under the age of 40. The oldest grave is from 1876 and the last one from 1940.
Svorad's alley
With history Benedictine monastery Svoradova aleja also connects. It consists of 14 boards that lead the way from Svorad's spring up to Svorad's cave. Scenes from the lives of saints are shown on the individual boards. The Nitra artist Ľudovít Bebjak prepared the paintings for them. According to legend, Svorad came to the Benedictine monastery at the beginning of the 11th century. He lived there for some time and later lived as a hermit in a cave in strict asceticism, which also caused his early death. Many miracles are associated with his name. In the 18th century, a plague raged in Nitra, killing a quarter of the population. Residents came to ask St. for help. Svorada. The plague stopped and the people of Nitra undertook to fast as a sign of gratitude and chose St. Svorada for the patron of Nitra. That is also why an annual pilgrimage is organized on July 17 Svorado's cave.
Parish Church of St. Urbana
This church also earned its name, namely its location. It is the highest church in Nitra. The foundations of the church are located at an altitude of 236 m. Its main part is the chapel of St. Urban, the patron saint of winegrowers, from 1649. However, this year is given only as an estimate, as the founding document of the monastery has never been discovered. During its existence, it underwent certain structural modifications and in 2013 it underwent extensive interior reconstruction. In front of the church there are also other important sacral monuments: the stone statue of St. Urbana, a sandstone statue of the Sorrowful Christ from 1764, a stone pieta or a brick chapel of the Virgin Mary from 1915, built as a monument to the period of the First World War. The church is located just a minute's walk from the hotel. All you have to do is turn onto Morušová Street and definitely don't miss it.
Monastery of the Congregation of Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration
It is also called the Monastery of the Pink Sisters and is located in the Šindolka part of Zobor, not far from the known source. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the hotel. The Pink Sisters are a female Roman Catholic cloistered order. It was founded in 1896 in the Netherlands. Their mission is constant prayer for priests and initial proclamation of the Gospel. The monastery was completed in 2008. The building with the Chapel of the Holy Trinity is complemented by a large monastery garden and a courtyard where the statue of Divine Mercy is located. It is interesting that the religious sisters are separated from the faithful in the chapel by a net.
We will cover it in the next article sacral monuments in the entire city of Nitra.