The National Cultural Monument – the Carthusian Monastery in the village of Červený Kláštor (Red Monastery) is one of the most important monuments of its kind in Slovakia. It is also the largest and most significant historic site administered by the Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic.

The monastery’s history dates back to 1320, when it was founded by the Carthusian Order as a daughter monastery of the Monastery of the Rock of Refuge (Lapis Refugii) in the Spiš region. During the 18th century, the complex underwent partial reconstruction, which largely determined its present appearance. The principal surviving buildings include a Gothic single-nave church, the medieval monastery building with its refectory and cloister, the so-called Clock Tower, the farm buildings, and the Great Cloister with several partially preserved monks’ houses. The church and the medieval refectory contain the monastery’s most valuable artistic treasures in the form of historic wall paintings.

The monastery is one of the very few surviving examples of Carthusian and Camaldolese monastic architecture in Slovakia. It is also significant within the wider context of European cultural heritage, as it represents one of the easternmost sites associated with these monastic communities.

Over the past 15 years, Červený Kláštor has undergone extensive restoration and revitalisation. As part of this process, a new museum exhibition has been created, the accommodation facilities have been expanded and modernised, and the historic monastery tavern in the courtyard has been brought back into operation.

Alongside ongoing conservation and restoration work, a substantial part of our current activities is dedicated to the implementation of two major projects—one funded by the EEA Grants and the other by the INTERREG Poland–Slovakia Programme. These projects aim to restore several of the monastery’s original historical functions while also returning the complex to its former architectural beauty.