Confessional aspects of the architecture of wooden protestant churches in Eastern Europe in the 17th –18th centuries

A distinct architectural phenomenon emerged among Protestant communities in Eastern Europe following the Thirty Years' War and the Sopron Seim, where wooden churches diverged significantly from local Catholic traditions. These 'churches of peace' and 'particular churches,' built between 1650–1770s, adopted North German or Scandinavian construction techniques, distinguishing them through cross-planned designs and innovative building methods. Unlike traditional Slavic wooden architecture, these structures served as symbols of self-identification for minority Protestant groups, often of Polish or Slovak descent, who used their grandiose, ark-like designs to assert cultural and religious distinction amid Catholic majorities. The study concludes that this architectural departure not only enriched Eastern Europe's cultural landscape but also offered a tangible alternative to dominant Catholic and Greek Catholic styles, reflecting the region's complex confessional dynamics during a turbulent period.

Khodakovsky, E. V. (2023). Confessional aspects of the architecture of wooden protestant churches in Eastern Europe in the 17th –18th centuries. Studia Slavica et Balcanica Petropolitana, 33(1), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu19.2023.105