The architecture of Pezinok Capuchin Monastery

The Capuchin complex is situated at the northern edge of the historic site of the town of Pezinok and in the close vicinity of the town castle system. The castle wall still marks off the castle premises. The original two-floor monastery presently has a four-wing layout with a small jetty on the west side, and it is shifted towards the inside of the estate, when compared with the front level of the church. The monastery is accessible by a hallway parallel with the church. The entrance to the monastery is on the western side of the church in the right-angle portal.  

 

From the viewpoint of architecture, both the monastery and church are built according to the traditional Capuchin scheme that was created by Capuchin Antonio from Pordenone according to ancient patterns. The Pezinok Monastery site has retained the typical layout concept. Its architectural value is attributed to the retained four-wing type with the enclosed Heavenly Court. The monastery has four wings; the ground floor is basically two-arm; the first floor is two-arm and three-arm, the western wing is attached to the church with a cloister. On the first floor, the wider wings, western and northern, have three arms and central hall. Rather small rooms – monks’ cells – have windows overlooking both the Heavenly Court and the adjoining gardens. The rooms are separated from each other by stud beams with a low door leading to the hall with the beam ceiling. The access from the ground floor is through the staircase adjoined to the chancel on the northern side of the church. On the ground floor of the western wing is the original refectory with the beam ceiling; alongside is a small room with a stone bowl for washing. Next to the refectory is a kitchen, the interesting feature of which is the projecting part jutting out from the wing structure, originally intended for an open-air fireplace – a black kitchen.

 

Into the account of maintained technical devices it is necessary to include a carefully thought out heater system with so far discovered three fire openings. It represents a technical solution typical of Capuchins; the one that provides for the direct heating of larger and more important rooms. Another peculiar element featuring in ideal Venetian projects that the Pezinok Capuchin concept takes into account is the space realized as a building jutting out of the wing structure on the southwest corner. It functioned as a highly elaborate hygiene system. According to the discovered sketch drawing, it is built on the stream that supplied water.

 

A feature of distinctive architectural-historical and artistic-historical value is a church dedicated to The Holiest Trinity with a characteristically separated chancel behind the main altar and the side Virgin Mary Chapel on the eastern side of the nave. Only few features of the plain church façade without a tower and with a triangular gable top are in the neo-style.

 

The Pezinok Capuchin Monastery and Church is a typologically genuine Baroque Capuchin building with a high degree of maintaining the original historic structure and details. Till now the monastery complex has preserved typological peculiarities of a Capuchin scheme, which adds to its architectural and historical value.