Places to visit

Church of Two Hearts in Liptovské Sliače

The Roman-Catholic Church of Two Hearts is situated in the town of Liptovské Sliače, in the area of Vyšný Sliač, approximately 11 km away from the centre of Ružomberok.

The church is also called Ark Locus, or Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart of Virgin Mary.

The building is an extremely interesting and unique work of art, which has no parallels in the rest of Slovakia. Its appearance is supposed to resemble Noah’s Ark. That is why the locals refer to the church as “Sliačanská” Ark. The ark stands on the hill called Sliačsky Ararat and the site offers a beautiful view of the surrounding panorama of Lower Liptov. It was consecrated in 2000.

An interesting fact is that during its construction, two rocks were found during the excavations at the site, which resembled two hearts. One resembled the Immaculate Heart of Virgin Mary and the other resembled the Sacred Heart of Jesus. That is the reason for the name: Church of Two Hearts. The heart-shaped rocks are displayed at the entrance to the church. The foundation stone of the church was consecrated in Levoča in 1995 by the pope in power at the time, John Paul II.

Inside the church, there are exhibitions of interesting works of fine art, made by artists from various European countries: Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France and Poland. The works offer many hidden symbols and interesting colours.

Another feature that is rather interesting is the entrance gate with a bell, made of solid wood and forged steel. The gate separates the church premises from the surrounding area.