The church bears the patronage of St. Ladislav, the Hungarian monarch, who ruled in the years 1077 – 1095. St. Ladislav was the co-patron saint of Hungary (the other was the Virgin Mary) and the patron saint of its kings. In the Roman Catholic Church Ladislav was considered a saint for his zeal, piety and moral life. The exact date of the church’s construction is unknown, but there are indications that it stands on the site of an older Romanesque sacral building which may have existed in the 12^th century. The current church most likely dates from the first half of the 14^th century. Only the lower part of the tower, part of the perimeter masonry with western and southern Gothic stone portals and a bricked window have been preserved from this period. The church was rebuilt into its present form as a triple-naved basilica at the beginning of the 17^th century as its secular patrons, the Turza family, adopted the idea of the Reformation. On their initiative the building underwent a fundamental Renaissance modification. The ceiling had cross vaults, triforiums were gradually added to the naves and the presbytery was given a polygonal shape. The builders installed a new stone portal in the basement and in 1647 they added a tower and a southern vestibule to the present building. The late Renaissance painted plant frieze which is situated under the crown cornice of the church also dates from this period. Evangelicals used the church until 1672 when it passed into the hands of the Roman Catholic Church for a short time. They finally got it back at the beginning of the 18^th century. The hereditary lords of the Lietava estate had the right of patronage over the church. During the 18^th century, the vault of the sanctuary was due to some static problems modified, the tower received a typical Baroque onion-shaped finish and a large ridge turret was added to the roof of the presbytery. The turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries left significant traces especially in the interior of the church. Almost all the furniture was replaced, the original Renaissance plaster with wall paintings were removed to a large extent, new paving was laid on the old one and the crypts were completely closed. At the end of the 20^th century, a few renovations without the approval of the Institution of monuments preservation were done. The church’s truss was replaced, the roof was repaired and its façade was restored in such an inappropriate way that most of the original plaster was completely destroyed.