Ottoman marks in Slovakia, crescents in Slovak churches

Diplomatic Observer, December 2017

Czechoslovak Turkologist Josef Blaškovič, who died in 1990, told journalist Yılmaz Çetiner the following about the Slovak people's thoughts about the Ottomans.

“The local people were not afraid of Turkish domination… Turkish domination was more just and more orderly than Nemçe domination. Turkish landlords and Turkish lords were softer and more fair than the old feudals. A historian named Karol Medvecky writes the following in his work Detva, published in 1905: “In 1614, a feudal lord named Telegedy said in the feudal council: Our people are jealous of the people living under Turkish rule. "They have better living conditions than us."

Pointing to the fact that some regions of Southern Slovakia remained under Turkish rule from 1543 to 1686, Josef Blaškovič said, “We did not fight for 143 years... At best, 10-15 years of this time should be spent in fighting... What about 130 years? "We lived together for 130 years, became friends, and adopted each other's customs," he commented.

The crescent, the symbols of Ottomans and Islam are today found on many steeples and belltowers in churches in Slovakia. In an article called "Crescent on Churches and Belltowers in Gemera" published in the Obzor Gemera magazine in 1978, Jan Valach argued that the crescents were placed on churches to protect against Ottoman attacks and as a sort of charm. 

Howewer, all of these churches are Evangelical - Reform churches. Almost all of them were constructed after the 1781 Edict of Tolerance of Emperor Joseph II and at this date there was no Turkish threat against Slovakia.

Ľubomír Križan, who recently wrote a book in Slovakian on Turkish marks in Slovakia states that there ara crescents on churches and belltowers in 45 locations, including Rimavská Seč, Hnúšťa, Babinec, Lukovištia, Papča, Dražice, Brádno, Zdychava, Hrušovo, Drienčany, Teplý Vrch, Lipovec, Slizké, Budikovany, Hostišovce, Španie Pole, Vyšné Valice, Ploské, Ratková , Repište, Ratkovská Suchá, Sása, Skerešovo, Rákoš, Nandraž, Revúca, Kopráš, Magnezitovce, Mníšany, Gemerské Teplice, Šivetice, Rozložná, Čierna Lehota, Slavošovce, Rochovce, Brdárka, Markuška, Roštár, Štítnik, Kunova Teplica, Kružná, Gemerská Panica, Silica, Silická Brezová , Dlhá Ves and Kečovo [1].

It is difficult to say that there is an interest in Turkey to Slovakian and Hungarian scholars working on Turkish marks in Slovakia. Most information from Slovak sources have not been cited in the studies published in Turkey.

Bowl of baptism with the name
of Treasurer Ibrahim Agha

One detail about the issue of crescents is that an angel in the Evangelical Church in Cinobaňa holds a copper bowl and the name of Treasurer Ibrahim Agha written on it in Ottoman [2]. This bowl had been used for baptism. This gives a clue as to why Evangelical Christians may have used crescent.

In Slovakia, city coats of arms of Hnúšťa, Šurany, Topoľčany, Smolenice and Bytča have the star and the crescent. In Czechia, far away from Ottoman influence, the towns of Rožmitál na Šumavě, Písek, Pohořelice, Letiny, Varnsdorf, Vavřinec, Voděrady and Blatnice also have the star and crescent in their coat of arms. In Zahrádka and Kbel the crescent is superceded by the cross and shot through with an arrow. This may indicate that the crescent was seen as the symbol of Muslims and Turks.

In an interview on Turkish crescents in Slovak churches broadcast on Televízia Markíza network [3]. The crescent and the star were not imbued with any further significance. 

Slovak TV programme about
Turkish crescents in churches

Zoltán Drenko, curator of the exhibition on Turkish marks on Slovakia held in Komárno and Fiľakovo says that the Slovakian words kava (coffee), çay (tea), višňa (sourcherry), çizme (boot) come from Turkish and that it was under Turkish influence that coffee and tobacco, hazelnuts, different types of chesnuts (gaštan), maize and grapes arrived in Slovakia [4]. Drenko says that the expression "to smoke like a Turk" exist in Slovakian and that Turks made the beauty of Slovakian women known. He also says that after the Habsburgs took the fortress of Fiľakovo from the Turks, three hundred Turks continiued living in the area.

Drenko thinks the copperbowl in Cinobaňa is a proof of Turkish - Evangelical friendship and says that the villagers believe the crescents on the church and the belltowers protect their village.

[1] Ľubomír Križan; Turci Na Slovensku, Fakty - Myty – Legendy, Bratislava 2011, s.44. 

[2] Ľubomír Križan; a.g.e, s.100. 

[3] Na tomto slovenskom kostole kríž nenájdete. Zdobí ho turecký znak 

http://www.tvnoviny.sk/domace/1839920_na-tomto-slovenskom-kostole-kriz-nenajdete-zdobi-ho-turecky-znak 

[4] Zoltán Drenko: Kostol s polmesiacom chránil dedinu,

 https://kultura.pravda.sk/galeria/clanok/33989-zoltan-drenko-kostol-s-polmesiacom-chranil-dedinu/