The town was situated on a trade route where a toll station was established in 1393. Archaeologist Ján Beljak said that the investigation identified the church’s thirteenth-century rectangular nave and presbytery, and a sacristy that was added in the fourteenth century.

Excavation of the site uncovered multiple entrances to the building and a well-preserved crypt with a barrel vault. Beljak and his team also found a later fortification wall that enclosed the church and its cemetery. To read about Slovakia’s Roman history, go to “Around the World: Slovakia.”