High Tatras – The Tatra Temple of Ice is entering its 14th season. This year’s spectacular ice structure at Hrebienok is dedicated to the legacy of Saint Francis of Assisi.
In 2026, the world marks 800 years since the death of a man who renounced wealth in favour of a life of poverty, peace and love for all creation. This anniversary was a key factor in choosing the central theme for the 14th edition of the Tatra Temple of Ice.
The centrepiece is an ice replica of the monumental Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi. It took a hundred years to build and is one of the largest churches in the Christian world. Together with Assisi, it is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Seen from the front, the structure is dominated by its monumental façade, crowned with statues. On the left-hand side, visitors will find an ice nativity scene commemorating Christmas 1223, when Saint Francis first created a manger at Greccio. “The most precious feature is hidden at the rear of the structure. Here stands the tiny Portiuncula – originally a small stone chapel that Saint Francis found abandoned and restored with his own hands. This very place is regarded as the birthplace of the Franciscan Order. Even in its ice form, it lies at the heart of the entire basilica. Inside, its precious altarpiece has also been recreated using ice and coloured glass. The San Damiano Crucifix, which is said to have spoken to Francis, stands beside the Portiuncula. The entire ice basilica can be viewed from every angle, allowing visitors to explore it from all sides,” says Lukáš Brodanský, project manager of the Tatra Temple of Ice.
photo: Marek Hajkovský/TMR
Pax et bonum – Peace and All Good
This Latin greeting, carved into the ice, has been associated with the Franciscans for eight centuries. It comes from the words of Saint Francis himself, who wrote in his Testament that the Lord had revealed this greeting to him: “May the Lord give you peace.” To this day, Franciscans use it to greet everyone they meet. The creators of the Tatra Temple of Ice are extending the same wish for peace and all good to every visitor.
The first nativity scene
The tradition of nativity scenes began with Saint Francis of Assisi. On Christmas Eve in 1223, he prepared a manger filled with hay in a cave in Greccio, Italy, and brought an ox and a donkey to stand beside it. That night gave rise to a tradition that has since spread around the world and is also reflected in the nativity scene carved from Tatra ice. It is also an invitation to visit the traditional nativity scene at Rainer’s Hut, which hut keeper Peter Petras builds from snow every year.
Portrait of Saint Francis
An image of Saint Francis is carved into the ice. The son of a wealthy merchant from Assisi gave up his possessions and chose a life of poverty. He was canonised just two years after his death. He is regarded as the father of the Franciscans, the patron saint of Italy and, since 1979, the patron saint of ecology.
The largest ice structure in the history of the Tatra Temple of Ice
The basilica at Hrebienok was created using 2,000 blocks of ice weighing a total of 250 tonnes, which is more ice than in the case of any previous edition of the Tatra Temple of Ice. A team of 40 sculptors and assistants from Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany worked on the project under the direction of lead artist Adam Bakoš. The structure reaches almost 11 metres at its highest point.
The Tatra Temple of Ice in numbers and facts
11 m – highest point of the structure
11 – planned concerts and performances
25 m – diameter of the dome cover
40 sculptors and assistants from Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany
250 tonnes of ice – the largest quantity used in the history of the Tatra Temple of Ice
2,000 blocks of ice
Lead artist: Adam Bakoš
Concept: Mons. Prof. ThDr. PaedDr. SSLic. František Trstenský, PhD, and Mgr. Lukáš Brodanský
The Tatra Temple of Ice will be open to visitors from 13 November 2026 to 18 April 2027. Admission is free.