The church of the assumption of the Virgin Mary – The memorial of the Fallen in the 1st World War

The parish Church of the assumption of the Virgin Mary in Turzovka had its three predecessors. They were the wooden churches dedicated to the St. Elizabeth, as well as the first bricked church which has been built in 1728. The current baroque church has being built from 1757 to 1759. The church is located in the centre of Turzovka. The original patrocinium was changed by the intervention of Pavel Anton Esterhazi at the assumption of the Virgin Mary. The church was not originally consecrated, just blessed which changed in 1834 on August 10th when there was a gala consecration with the participation of the diocesan Bishop Jozef Wurum. The refurbishment works on the church has several significant milestones. The first one was the 1st quarter of the 19th century, then years 1849-1883 during the spiritual rule of the dean Frantisek Taganyi. Another important period of renovation of the church were the years 1910-1911 during the exposure of the chancellor Julius Lonsky. In 1932 a new sacristy was built and the old one became lateral chapel of the Seventh-sorrows Virgin Mary. The interior of the chapels decorated by paintings made by academic artist Jozef Bozetech Klemens, Alesander Loszinsky as well as God known artists. The remarkable part of the church is the pseudo-baroque organ with polychrome woodcutting. A part of the old organ from 1799 was built into the centre of the sill. 1964 August 28th, Regional State Monument centre of care and nature conservation in Banska Bystrica declared the church as a cultural monument. In the following year, the entire surrounding of the church has been declared as the protected zone of cultural monuments.

There is a memorial of the Fallen in 1st World War near the church. The memorial has been made in 1922 by sculptor and stonemason Vojtech Semerak from Olomouc. The cost of making it was 14 000 coins. In the same year the memorial was sanctified, during the renovation of st. missions by the local priest Karol Tocik. It is made of sandstone and it shows a stone grave. In its upper part there is a relief of a dying soldier which is held by an angel. Above the grave there is a raised cross with the crucified Christ. To the left from the grave there is sad woman with a bowed head with a bouquet of flowers in her hand, the other hand is touching the grave gently. Into the Entrance to the grave there was placed granite table with the names of the soldiers from Turzovka. In the right side there was placed another originally granite table with the names of soldiers additionally declared as dead. Since it was later damaged (cracked), it was replaced by a new table of less good material. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the SNU was in the year 1964 on the back side of the grave placed another table with names of the fallen and the victims of the Second World War from the parish of Turzovka. The memorial was proclaimed as a natural cultural monument.