Chapel of St Barbara

The Chapel of St Barbara is an integral part of the Presidential Palace. Count Anton I Grassalkovich had the idea to construct a place of worship dedicated to St Barbara as a free-standing building open to the public before 1768. The chapel was consecrated in 1769 but as the palace grew after 1770, it was naturally incorporated into its architectural composition. This is why two separate entrances can be seen on the chapel to this day.

The chapel is consecrated to St Barbara – the patron saint of miners, artillery, architects, gunmakers and firefighters, who also provides protection against storms, fires and sudden death. Legend says that she was the daughter of a pagan father who closed her up in a tower to protect her against Christian influences and force her to marry against her will. However, Barbara’s faith grew despite her solitary confinement until she let herself be secretly baptised and then installed a third window in her tower to show her faith in the Holy Trinity. She suffered a martyr’s death for her faith, with her father allegedly striking the fatal blow. Legend says that he was subsequently struck by lightning.

The dramatic scene of St Barbara’s martyrdom is captured in the altar painting by an unknown artist, which was installed in the stucco marble altar in the late 18th century. Above the painting are the coats of arms of the princely Esterházy and Grassalkovich families. The altar was installed in the chapel in 1784.

Among of the chapel’s most striking features are the frescos on the walls and ceiling that create a sense of spaciousness through masterly trompe-l’oeil effects. They are the work of the eminent Viennese painter Joseph Pichler, a court painter to the Habsburgs who was later elevated to the nobility in recognition of his skill. The Holy Trinity fresco in the sanctuary is likely the work of another distinguished painter, Joseph Ignaz Mildorfer.

The chapel’s interior furnishings date mainly from the 18th century. The Baroque pews come from the defunct church in Bratislava’s municipal lazaretto on Dunajská Street. Some of the original marl floor tiles have been replaced by matching tiles from the 18th-century Ursuline church in Bratislava. The altar table and tabernacle were crafted in the 1940s by a woodcarving workshop in Banská Štiavnica. The tabernacle doors show a relief of the risen Christ appearing to the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

The chapel has been enriched by several gifts from important persons and institutions underscoring its spiritual significance and ceremonial prestige. Among the most precious is a portrait of the Madonna presented to President Rudolf Schuster by Pope John Paul II in 2001. That same year, during an Open Day event, the chapel acquired a carved wooden altar – an original work by the one-armed master woodcarver Jaroslav Velčický. The chapel is also graced by a wooden relief of the head of Christ gifted from the town of Rožňava to the city of Bratislava in 1999.

 Roman-Catholic masses have been celebrated in the chapel since it was first consecrated. During the presidency of Michal Kováč, ecumenical services intended to bring together the various Christian denominations in Slovakia were held there once a month. President Ivan Gašparovič hosted part of the New Year’s reception for all churches and religious societies registered in Slovakia with the head of state in the chapel — they prayed together there for Slovakia’s prosperity in the coming year. The current head of state, Peter Pellegrini, revived this tradition in January 2025.