The village of Šarišské Michaľany is situated in eastern Slovakia between the towns of Prešov and Sabinov on the main northbound road. Thanks to its location, it has become a necessary point of passage in the direction of Sabinov or Prešov. The reign of King Bel IV, who reigned from 1235 to 1270, is also connected with the first written mention of the village. It is connected with his donation of the village to the Bishop of Jäger, to whom he gave the village of Michaľany in 1248, which he later reacquired in exchange for other property. This fact shows that the village existed for several decades before the beginning of the 13th century.
The oldest preserved monument in the village is the Renaissance manor house, which is situated in the lower part of the village, on the left bank of the Torysa River. In the 15th century, there was already a peasant's cottage on its site. The manor house built in 1585 belonged to Stefan Szirmay. The 1690 inventory mentions a brick manor house built in the style of a manor house in good condition with a lighthouse, granary and garden. The preserved remains of the fencing testify to its unchanged position as a manor house. Between 1642 and 1736 it was also partially altered with later minor repairs, which include the addition of a baroque chapel in 1736.
The manor house is a one-storey block building with four polygonal (i.e. seven-pointed) towers on the corners. On the western façade we can find the original entrance to the manor with a supraport. There was a double staircase on a stone masonry landing, which was added in the 19th century. Interesting features include the decorative bifid in the façade of the south-east corner tower, formed by two semi-circular windows, which are divided by columns with fluting. The facades partly preserve the original windows with stone tracery. On one of the towers there is also an associated window, which is articulated by three semi-columns on high pediments. Many of the window openings are bricked up inside. The interior itself is interesting, where one original ceiling has been preserved with decorations consisting of statues of angels. The north-west tower has been rebuilt to provide an entrance to the chapel as well as a private entrance from the interior for the owner. Nowadays, the manor house is used as the seat of the municipal office and is open to the public.
There was originally a park next to the Renaissance manor house, which was cut down in 1945-1949. The park and the Renaissance manor house were formerly enclosed by a stone wall, in places 2 - 3 metres high. A statue of John of Nepomuk stood in a niche at the entrance. The wall was gradually welded and the stones were used to build a road through the village.
Baroque Chapel of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
The Chapel of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was built around 1736. It served the family of Count Tomáš Szirmay. It is a part of the Renaissance manor house, which was built after the Baroque reconstruction. The chapel is attached to its north-west tower. It consists of a single-nave building with a polygonally closed sanctuary and an added sacristy. The façades of the chapel have a typical Baroque décor, consisting of rich stucco decoration of the window tracery and a decorative openwork Baroque gable which closes the entrance façade. Above the entrance is a mural of St Florian, above which is the coat of arms of the Szirmay family and a sundial. On the wooden tower there is a two-armed cross.
Source: municipality Šarišské Michaľany,Katarína Brendzová
Photo: village Šarišské Michaľany/ Jozef Kotulič,Ing.
