Background
The Sopron Congress was called against a background of social unrest, including civil revolt, religious friction and continuing threat of invasion from Turkey. The Emperor therefore determined that it was necessary to make concessions to his Protestant population to secure its loyalty.
However, severe restrictions were placed on the Protestant congregations. No more than two churches could be built in each administrative region — in areas of strategic importance, the limit was one church — and buildings had to be outside city walls. Further regulations determined siting, and building procedures. As a consequence, the articular churches were all built of wood, mostly in the period 1681-1730. There were originally 38 such churches, nearly all located in the region of today's Slovakia.
Many of the churches displayed extraordinary ingenuity in their construction. They were typically decorated within by painting, often of a trompe l'oeil nature giving the impression of marble columns or drapery.
Read more about this topic: Articular Church
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