ECAV Ružomberok

Roots of evangelicals in Ružomberok (Rbk) reach 16th century. Since the Reformation until an extinction of the first clergy in 1709, from Rbk and surroundings lots of excellent priests, teachers and men of letters came out and worked. In April 1707, the last of three big synods came here together. This synod reconstructed by persecutions weakened church and confirmed loyality to Evangelical Lutheran Orthodoxy by an act of accepting "Formula of Concord”.

On March 25, 1782, senior convent in Paludza, taking place in the atmosphere full of hopes because of "Patent of Tolerance” of Jozef II., decided to make Rbk and surroundings a branch of mother-church in Nemecká Ľupča.

The district in Nemecká Ľupča was very big and pretentious to clerical function and moreover, the number of evangelicals in Rbk after 1850 went up. This situation brought about the need of an independent clergy. At senior convent on September 29, 1872, the delegation of evangelicals from Rbk asked for exfiliation Rbk and close surroundings from the mother - church in Nemecká Ľupča. On March 16, 1873, senior representatives called together the first proper convent of clergymen, where a clerical letter, written by superintendant Geduly, was read and which confirmed formation of independent ev.a.v. clergy.

The restored clergy built-up a new humble chapel in Veľký Závoz, blessed on September 7, 1873, on the second Sunday of Advent.

Between 1923-24, a new complex of evangelical parsonage and a school was built. On October 10, 1926, exactly a year after building works had started, bishop Dr. Jur Janoška blessed the new church, where a lot of evangelical priests and believers from Liptov, Orava, Turiec and Spiš came.

The author of this project with very simple hall disposi-tion inspired by the design of Ing. arch. Dušan Jurkovič, a native from Rbk, Ing.arch. Ján Burjan, signatar of Martin's Declaration. The firm belonged to Jozef Pešek which resides in Zvolen, realized this project. Internal equipment of the present church altar with pulpit, christen-ing baptismal and benches are originals from the period of its beginning and it was made by evangelical joiners' team called ”Self help” from Trenčín. The bells were given by the firm Fischer from Trnava. In the carved altar there is an altar picture of Christ blessing a cup, from Peter Michal Bohúň which was the part of altar decoration of the origi-nal chapel from 1873.

The clergy ECAV from Rbk since the period of its restoration in 1873 worked and still works as an important mission center which unifies evangelicals of Lower Liptov. After the final repairs in October 2000, it is the mother church of Rbk plus 17 communities in diaspora Lisková, Štiavnička, Liptovská Štiavnica, Komjatná, Studničná, Likavka, Martinček, Turík, Kalameny, Lúčky, Liptovské Sliače, Ludrová, Liptovská Osada, Liptovské Revúce, Liptovská Lúžna and Korytnica.