Poznámky k obrannej úlohe kláštora minoritov v Levoči na prelome stredoveku a novoveku
Notes on the Defensive Role of the Minorite Monastery in Levoča at the Turn of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the defensive role of the Minorite monastery in Levoča at the turn of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. The monumental architecture of the preserved parts of the medieval Franciscan monastery in Levoča, originally built in the first half of the 14th century, underwent significant transformations that have been appropriately addressed in scholarly literature. However, the historical development of the complex remains unclear in many respects, primarily due to the scarcity of preserved written sources. The monastery is believed to have been founded at the end of the 13th or the beginning of the 14th century. Its patronage is attributed to the Virgin Mary and Saint Ladislaus, while the departure of the Minorites in the first half of the 16th century remains a matter of historical speculation. The buildings of the medieval monastic complex, including the so-called Polish Gate, were strategically well fortified. Through the so-called Monastery Gate, the Franciscans maintained communication even with more distant surroundings, until the gate was buried in the 16th century and demolished in the 19th century. The location of the Minorite complex within medieval Levoča was advantageous in terms of its functional use, economic background, and fulfillment of monastic needs.

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