Night of Castles and Ruins 2019

On Saturday 16 August 2019 in the evening, about 300 people attended the traditional event Night of Castles and Ruins. 25 years ago, first volunteers came to Katarínka, so also this event was a part of celebration of this anniversary.

The program started with a Holy Mass celebrated by Branislav Popelka („Beren“) and the parish priest from Dechtice Miroslav Kováč. Music during the Holy Mass was performed by the volunteer band s. Katerína. After the Mass, the traditional refreshment was offered to the visitors – bread slices with pork grease and onion, as well as tea.

After a short break, when it got already dark, the program continued with a concert of the ZOE chamber orchestra. The orchestra consisted of 8 musicians with mostly bowed string instruments, but also a harpsichord was present. The orchestra played for almost one hour and the concert consisted mainly from baroque pieces.

After the concert, a surprise was awaiting the visitors. For the first time, visitors could enter the biggest crypt in the church with a trained guide. Until last year, archaeologic research with participation of our volunteers was being carried out in the crypt.

In addition, visitors could enjoy the night atmosphere at Katarínka with special night lightning. Young volunteers guided them around the walls and presented them not only the monastery ruin and its history, but also the work of volunteers and their way of life during summer camps.

The event Night of Churches at Katarinka was a great success, the weather was unexpectedly good and number of visitors high

We joined the project The night of churches on the 25th of May.

About 300 visitors and supporters took part in this event. The evening program started with the holy mass.
As the time advanced, the dark and silence settled, what was perfect for The String Quartet ZOE and their chamber concert.
Between the walls of the church, we could hear the well-known pieces, as f. e. Four Seasons from Antonio Vivaldi and other pieces from J. S. Bach.
The program was concluded with a night tourist visit through the Saint Catherine´s church, monastery and its surroundings.
Before the program started, there was an opportunity for tourists to enter the church tower and go on the top. Throughout the program, the visitors could help themselves with tea and snack.

Night of castles and ruins at Katarínka

The Night of castles and ruins at Katarínka turned out well, despite unfavourable weather forecast. Katarínka again took part this year in the Slovak countrywide event Night of castles and ruins, which is under the auspices of civic association Zachráňme hrady.

Parson Branislav Popelka from Piešťany and Miroslav Kováč from Dechtice served the Holy Mass in the area of the church.

Since it did not rain and the wind calmed down, approximately 150 visitors were able to enjoy both the superb atmosphere and an impressive concert of baroque virtuosi. It is interesting that a large part of the pieces was composed by Pantaleón Roškovský, who was a Franciscan that used to act around Katarínka. Not only his compositions, but also pieces of other baroque authors were performed by artists Adam Štefunko (electric organ) and Michal Klas (baroque violin, vocals).

Subtle illumination of the ruins was very impressive, as well as night tours, which were accompanied by traditional monastic dish – water and bread with butter and onions. Even before the start of the event, it was possible to visit the reconstructed 30-meter high tower, where the visitors could enjoy a moving view and listen to a detailed commentary given by guides.

We are very satisfied with both the attendance and the atmospere of the event, because we did not expect so many visitors with such weather conditions. However, many came and they obtained a reward in the form of a splendid evening at Katarínka.

Katarínka involved again in The Night of the Churches

On Friday 23rd May, we joined the project “The Night of the Churches” by attending the programme which we organised at Katarinka.

The programme consisted in prayers and a play telling the history of the place. Then, the guided tours of the church and monastery ruins continued, lit by lanterns and explaining the 400-year history of the ruins, the goals of the project Katarinka and its voluntary activities.

This year, about 150 visitors and supporters arrived to enjoy Katarinka in the late evening hours, coming not only from the near villages and towns, but also from further ones, such as Nitra, Nové Zámky or Lučenec. The importance of  was emphasized by one of our volunteers: “Young volunteers from all over Slovakia save the ruins of St. Catherine’s monastery and church not only for themselves, but for all the people who come here to look for peace, good and rest. The project  the Night of the Churches is an extraordinary occasion on which we can make the atmosphere and the message of the ruins available for visitors from afar and, by means of the programme, hand over not only a lovely experience, but also the values, hope and faith of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Catherine of Alexandria.“

Photos:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/113613424875171902775/
albums/6017317193138908177

Video in Lux TV (Slovak only):
http://www.tkkbs.sk/view.php?cisloclanku=20140527014