Pastophorium in the Church of St. Catherine in Handlova in the Context of the Morphology of Gothic Pastophoria of Slovakia

The project Geometric Analysis of Architectural Elements of Gothic Architecture in Handlová and its surroundings was dedicated to the documentation of stone Gothic elements of sacral buildings. The aim was to make photographs and drawings for the needs of maintenance and restoration of monuments and also to process geometric analyzes of suitable stone elements. Knowledge of the geometric construction, which is the basis of the design process, can help the correct renewal and presentation, possibly with the addition of missing parts or correction of previous inappropriate interventions. The article is focused on one type of element - pastophorium - niche, a box for storing sacral objects and the Eucharist hosts and its forms in the Gothic churches of Slovakia. The various forms of Gothic pastophorias in terms of the shape and context of the supporting wall of the temple and the stone decoration of the niche / box are briefly pointed out. Geometric analysis of one of the studied pastophores - in the church of St. Katarína in Handlová - forms the conclusion of the article.