Veľké Kostoľany: Churches, Chapels and Archaeology

Veľké Kostoľany can be explored through several layers of time: the late Gothic Church of St. Vitus dates from 1464, while archaeological finds tell of much older traces of settlement. There is also Baroque sacred architecture, an annual pilgrimage and a local brass band tradition. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, these different themes can help shape your travel plans.

A linear village along the Chtelnička

Veľké Kostoľany developed as a linear village along the Chtelnička stream, which flows through the Kostolianska Valley. Agricultural land predominates, covering 85.05 percent of the cadastral area. The settlement’s layout along the stream and its agricultural landscape provide a concrete context for understanding the village’s development and character.

Church and chapel

The late Gothic Church of St. Vitus was built in 1464. Its choir still preserves a Gothic rib vault; surviving details also include walled-up Gothic windows, a stone sacrament house and a stone saddle portal. The main altar dates from 1815 and bears an image of St. Vitus. The church thus combines medieval architectural forms with an altar from a later period.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, built in 1768, is Baroque. Its architecture includes a semicircular apse, a dome and an incorporated tower. Its Baroque altar, from the second half of the 18th century, features an image and a relief of the Virgin Mary. The descriptions of the church and chapel illustrate different architectural forms and periods of construction.

Pilgrimage and traces of history

Every year, on the Sunday around September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, a pilgrimage is held to a chapel dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Believers from surrounding communities take part. Another historical reference is the Stations of the Cross, commissioned in 1924 by Jozef Magula, a native of Veľké Kostoľany. It replaced an earlier Calvary depiction made up of seven masonry images.

Archaeological investigations at the old brickyard and clay pits in Zákostoľany attest to settlement in the Neolithic period, approximately between 5000 and 2000 BC. Excavations in 1959 also uncovered a human skeleton dating from the 5th to the 12th century AD, as well as the skeleton of a child from the Early Iron Age. Other finds include an amber bead, Late Stone Age Slavic pottery, Moravian painted pottery, and stone and blade tools made of radiolarite and obsidian. Taken together, these archaeological periods reach far back beyond the late Gothic Church of St. Vitus.

Local culture and travel planning

According to the village history, the brass band tradition began in 1919 with a local music group and continues to this day. The municipal library is also part of the village’s cultural offerings: it lends 4,001 book titles across various literary genres. For cycling enthusiasts, the Cyklo Holeška TOUR has a route stop behind the municipal office.

The traditional fair offers another glimpse into local events. The announcement for the September 2025 edition listed a music program, activities for children, and stalls selling refreshments and handcrafted products; individual program items may vary from one edition to another. The 2023 and 2025 fairs also included a goulash-cooking competition. This gives you different options to shape your trip around: sacred architecture, archaeology, pilgrimage, musical traditions or a specific event program.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Veľké Kostoľany, Vieska, Vinohrady Nad Váhom, Okres Dunajská Streda, Štefanov, Okres Hlohovec, Špačince, Veľké Orvište

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