Holiday apartment in Štefanov – Church, Chapels and Landscape

Štefanov lies at the transition between the Chvojnická pahorkatina uplands and the Borská nížina lowlands. The Štefanovský potok stream flows through the village, while the southern part lies in the floodplain of the Myjava River. The cadastral area is used predominantly for agriculture and is partly covered by acacia woodland. Between uplands, lowlands, the stream, floodplain and cultivated landscape, the village has a clearly defined character.

Culture

The Roman Catholic Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria is at the centre of the village’s religious landscape. It was built in 1937 and designed in the Neo-Gothic style. The church stands on the site of an older church dating from 1561. Inside, it has a three-nave layout with a polygonal chancel termination; a projecting tower completes the building.

Outside the built-up area stands the Chapel of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. It was built in 1882, restored in 2013 and houses a Pietà statue. Another religious landmark is the Chapel of St. Florian, built in 1921 in front of the fire station. After a repair, its lantern was opened and a statue of St. Florian was placed inside.

History

Smaller monuments and crosses also bear witness to the history of Štefanov. In front of the church stands a pillar cross from 1879 featuring folk-style depictions of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The cemetery contains a Pseudo-Classical stone representation of Calvary dating from 1921. This stone Calvary representation in Štefanov is attributed to the A. LOOS company from Brno.

At the former settlement of the Horných-(Juračkových-)Mühle mill on the road to Senica stands a stone cross from 1905. It was erected by Jakub Klena and his wife Mária. The former mill settlement remains preserved in this designation as a historical reference to the locality. The village also commemorates a foundation from 1788 with a statue of St. John of Nepomuk: it was donated by the miller Andrej Klena.

Remembrance

In the park in the village centre near the school stands a monument to Red Army soldiers who lost their lives during the liberation in the cadastral area of Štefanov. The monument was erected in 1945 over a common soldiers’ grave. The site thus connects a specific place in the centre with the historical commemoration of the fallen.

Traditions

In Záhorie, Štefanov is one of the places with a long-standing Carnival tradition. Alongside the churches, chapels, crosses and remembrance in the village centre, this recurring custom also forms part of the village’s cultural identity.

Near the settlement of U Hríchu in the surroundings of Štefanov stands the Ecce Homo statue. It was created and erected around 1690, has been restored and is accessible. This historic wayside shrine adds another clearly identified point of reference in the nearby surroundings to the village’s sacred heritage.

Getting there

In regional bus transport, ARRIVA Trnava operates regional bus route 205 405 on the Senica–Štefanov–Gbely route. SKAND operates regional bus route 206407 on the Skalica–Štefanov–Senica route. Both routes list Štefanov as part of regional connections and place the village between Senica, Gbely and Skalica.

For the broader travel overview: Štefanov.